A year later, Jessie Castro was all smiles.

One year after her season and that of her teammates ended in the playoffs' semifinals when she hyperextended her right shoulder after diving into home plate, the Cornerstone Christian senior was a picture of vitality Thursday.

Castro struck out nine batters and allowed just five hits and pair of late runs in Cornerstone Christian's 11-2 romp over Mesa Grande in the quarterfinals of the CIF-Southern Section Division VII playoffs at Mission Oaks Park.

Catcher Christine Yamek and shortstop Arianna Drulias each collected three hits, scored three runs and were on base four times as top-seeded Cornerstone Christian (15-3) earned its second successive trip to the playoffs' final four.

For Castro, the semifinals will be a welcome sight.

"I wanted to get back there," she said. "That was a major motivation. That was so disappointing for me. I felt like my mistake let the team down."

When Castro was injured last season, a close contest turned into an 18-0 loss to Serra.

"I'm not saying we would have won the game, but I think I could have made some difference," she said.

On Thursday, Castro didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning when a ground ball off the bat of Rachel Kinney barely skipped past the glove of second baseman Nicole Klingerman.

By then, the Eagles held a 5-0 advantage. The lead grew to 11-0 when Cornerstone Christian chased starter Brittney Eyles from the game with a six-run bottom of the fifth.

Yamek, a senior catcher, collected three RBIs, including a run-scoring triple in the third inning.

Drulias, batting second, and Yamek, batting third, ruined the long road trip for Mesa Grande by combining to reach base all eight times.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence," said Yamek. "With Jessie pitching and our lineup hitting we feel like we have a great chance to win a championship.

"I know we're ready for the chance. We've worked very hard."

Castro said she needed a month last season to mentally recover from the season-ending loss. Her physical rehabilitation took four months.

"I really looked forward to this season," she said. "As a senior, this is my last chance."

Cornerstone Christian will take on either fourth-seeded Faith Baptist or Baptist Christian in Tuesday's semifinal.

Coach Dean Durlias has stressed a one-step-at-a-time approach with his team.

"I can't say I expected to reach the semifinals," he said. "This is softball. So many things can happen. We have to get ready for each game."