They came together in 2016 as wide-eyed freshmen just hoping to make a name for themselves at Port Of Los Angeles High for the softball program.

Two years later in 2018, they both combined for their magical signature moment.

Finally on Wednesday after their respective four-year prep careers came to an end in early May 2019, senior catcher/infielder Allison Torstensen and senior infielder Yolanda Racaza would share something else together as they would both sign national letters of intent to further their academic and softball lives for the next four years.

In front of family, friends, teammates and head coach Danielle Martinez, Torstensen would sign on to play in NCAA Division 1 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and at the same time, Racaza would sign on to play for Division 2 Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii. Torstensen and Racaza played on three league championship teams together at POLA and went as far as the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division 1 semifinals their first two years.

On April 27, 2018, they even became intertwined in one memorable moment in a Coliseum League home finale against King-Drew Medical of Los Angeles at Leland Park.

With two outs and Racaza on second base, Torstensen didn't even waste a moment, laying into the first pitch she saw and giving it a ride into the 5-6 (third base & shortstop) hole for a walk-off single to left field, and Racaza slid safely into home plate to cap off an 10-9 victory for POLA over King-Drew which ended in eleven innings.

Torstensen was also included in a nationally recognized masterpiece when she was the catcher in a 2016 game at Crenshaw, where she caught a perfect game from Analise De La Roca (now a sophomore at New Mexico State) in which she struck out 20 out of 21 batters.

Both started their love of softball at an early age, with Torstensen starting as early at the age of 2 throwing the ball back and forth with her father Duane, and she began officially at age 4. Racaza made her beginning at age 5 playing T-Ball then went straight into recreational ball at the San Pedro Girls Softball Association. From there they ended up playing for various travel organizations.  

Racaza also played on the 2015 Catholic Youth Organization championship softball team at Holy Trinity School before becoming a Polar Bear.

Choosing their college destinations was never in question.

"I fell in love with the campus the moment I stepped foot on it," Torstensen said on her official visit to George Mason, where she will team up with former Mary Star softball pitching great Marina Vitalich who will enter her red-shirt senior season in 2020. "I knew that George Mason is where I wanted to call home for the next four years of my life."

Racaza had a similar kind of affection for Chaminade as she plans to major in nursing.

"I got hooked on their nursing program and to see that they have a strong program is awesome," Racaza said on her January visit to Chaminade. "I was able to experience their welcome and friendly environment, meet the coaches and team who were also very welcoming. Lastly, their campus is beautiful and not too big with small class sizes, so you have a better relationship with your classmates and professors.

POLA played one of their shortest schedules in 2019, going 8-4, with all eight wins coming in the Imperial League finishing as league runner-up with an 8-2 record. In the Polar Bears' final two games, both Torstensen and Racaza thrived offensively in back-to-back wins over King-Drew and eventual league champion Harbor Teacher Prep.