Going in to the 2026 CIF NorCal softball tournament as the number five seed in Division IV, the Sac-Joaquin Section D5 champion Escalon Lady Cougars will hit the road Tuesday, June 2 for their opening round contest.

Escalon is set to take on the number four seed Alhambra, of Martinez, in a 4 p.m. game.

The teams come in with similar records; Escalon stands at 15-11 and the host Alhambra Bulldogs are 14-13-1. They played one common opponent during this season, and both lost to Benicia. Escalon took an 8-3 loss to Benicia back in late February during the preseason, Alhambra lost a 10-8 decision on April 22 and fell 16-15 on May 7.

Alhambra went 3-7 in its league play but made the most of their postseason appearance, getting to the North Coast Section Division 3 championship game, ultimately falling to Petaluma by a 9-6 final and having to settle for second place honors.

Escalon was 9-3 in the Trans-Valley League and got on a roll as they entered the postseason, winning all the way to the D5 Section crown, capping the blue banner run with a 5-1 victory over Casa Roble on May 23.

Winner of the Tuesday game moves on to face top seed West Valley – which has a first-round bye – in the regional semifinal on Thursday, June 4 at 4 p.m., with the regional finals scheduled for Saturday, June 6.

On the other side of the bracket, Tuesday match ups are number three seed Live Oak hosting number six Amador and number two Alisal hosting number seven seed Newark Memorial.