The Righetti softball team began its 2026 Mountain League campaign by bagging a dramatic victory Wednesday.

The Warriors came from 5-0 down and scored a 6-5 win against Mission Prep at Righetti. Pinch runner Janae Barraza sprinted home from second base with the winning run when Royals first baseman Baleigh Gingras dropped the throw from shortstop Malia Okimoto on a two-out ground ball off the bat of Lilly Bassett.

“I knew the score was close, I heard (Righetti coach Brian) Tomooka’s voice, and I knew I had to go,” said Barraza. “There was no way I was stopping.”

Tomooka, coaching at third base, waved Barraza around third as the throw was dropped. After being thrown out at the plate as she tried to score on a Keonna Ramos single in the third, Barraza was not going to be denied in the seventh. The Royals had no play on Barraza as she scored standing up.

Barraza, a sophomore, was in a familiar role Wednesday. “They’ve used me as a pinch runner since the start of the season,” she said.

Righetti moved to 5-2, 1-0. Mission Prep is 4-8, 0-1.

Opposing right handers Danielle Rivas of Mission Prep, a junior, and Emily Fortin of Righetti pitched the distance on an unseasonably balmy day Wednesday. Fortin, a senior who has signed with Cal State San Marcos, has been the ace of the Righetti varsity staff since she was a freshman.

Her prospects of getting a win in this Mounatin League opener didn’t look promising early. Violet D’Orazio-Lelli got all of a two-out Fortin pitch in the first inning and sent it several feet beyond the left field fence in for a 2-0 Royals lead.

Gingras hit a two-run single in a three-run Mission Prep third, and the Royals were up 5-0.

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After walking four batters and hitting one during the first four innings, Fortin retired the last 10 batters she faced.

“The rise ball is my favorite pitch,” Fortin said, and the right hander said the rise ball delivered for her again Wednesday. Fortin struck out 12.

“At first, it seemed like I was tensing everything,” said Fortin. “Then I just, like, loosened up and my spin started working.”

Fortin singled in the first two runs in a four-run Righetti third then singled in the tying run in the fifth. Rivas denied the Warriors in the sixth after Righetti had runners on second and third with no outs, but Barraza scored the winning run in the seventh.

Righetti won despite two of its runners being thrown out at the plate.

“We have a great group this year,” said Tomooka. “They never give up, and they kept chipping away after being down 5-0.

“Mission Prep has a great team, and in our league it’s going to be a battle every game. This was a great team win.”

Righetti will host Templeton in another league game next Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.