All since their existence, the Port Of Los Angeles High softball team has proven time and again that they can rise up when faced with a difficult challenge.

So far, the Polar Bears' run in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I playoffs have been nothing short of breathtaking in their first two games, and their latest chapter in their book which is the 2015 season, was written with a 2-1 victory over visiting El Camino Real of Woodland Hills in this quarterfinal duel Friday at Leland Park in San Pedro. POLA earlier in the week rallied from a 5-1 deficit to down Polytechnic of Sun Valley, 6-5 in a nine-inning classic in the first round Tuesday.

"It was another exciting win for us," POLA's Eastern Michigan-bound senior pitcher Nicolle Miranda said. "I will ride or die with this team no matter what."

There's not much that unnerves this POLA team when the stakes are high.

"Going into (the sixth) inning coach (Moses Espinoza) had told us that it was our inning to get it done," POLA senior second baseman Rose Garcia said. "I had faith that we could so I wasn't surprised when we did push across those two runs."

Those two runs came compliments of senior designated hitter Laura Leos, who belted an outside pitch from El Camino Real junior pitcher Morgan Ebow into left-center field for a two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the Polar Bears ahead. The irony of this moment, Leos had struck out looking on three pitches in her two prior meetings with Ebow.

Leos didn't waste a moment by going after the second pitch she saw the third time around.

"Every pitch is a new chance," Leos said. "I try and put every previous at bat out of my head and focus on what I can do at that moment and find a way to make something happen for my team. I trusted my coaches' advice and waited for an outside pitch I could drive."

In this game, fourth-seeded POLA (31-4) once again fell behind early when fifth-seeded El Camino Real (18-9) would take a 1-0 lead with one out in the top of the second inning off a throwing error by POLA sophomore first baseman Analise De La Roca, but despite that, the Polar Bears remained undaunted.

"It was an intense game and I knew that in the moment when they scored their run that we needed to come back," POLA senior second baseman Savana Ramirez said.

After surrendering a one-out single by De La Roca in the bottom of the first inning that put runners on first and second with one out, Ebow would retire 15 of POLA's next 16 batters, flustering the Polar Bears with a deadly array of mixing pitches, especially with an outside changeup. However, POLA would finally get to her in the sixth inning.

Sophomore center fielder Shelby Younkin, who ended Tuesday's classic win over Polytechnic with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth, would lead off the bottom of the sixth reaching base off an error at second base. Younkin would use her speed to advance to second on a fielder's choice ground ball by Ramirez, then would steal third base before De La Roca and Miranda struck out.

In came Leos, who would deliver the double to drive home Younkin, but Ramirez turned on the after-burners the second Leos made contact and slid home for the go-ahead run, as she scored from first base on Leos' double.

"All I was thinking was that I had to be safe at home no matter what it took," Ramirez said.

Miranda would promptly retire the Conquistadores (18-9) in order in the seventh inning to seal the victory, one of many monumental victories POLA has achieved this season, but they're now focused on trying to achieve one more on Wednesday when they travel to face top-seeded Chatsworth in the Division I semifinals at 3 pm.

Ebow and Miranda both hurled dueling three-hitter performances. Ebow struck out 9 while surrendering two runs (one earned) with a hit batter, while Miranda struck out five, allowing an unearned run with three walks and a hit batter.

"We both went head-to-head and it all came down to hitting your spots and keeping the hitters off balance," Miranda said of her duel with Ebow.

This will be POLA's second straight trip to the Division I semifinals after winning three straight CIF-LACS Division III championships from 2011 through 2013.