PHOTOS: St. John Bosco edges league rival Santa Margarita in extra innings for CIF title

Santa Margarita pitcher Brennan Bauer releases a pitch during the sixth inning of Friday night’s CIF final against St. John Bosco. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

There were no strangers Friday night at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field as two familiar Trinity League rivals faced off against each other with the CIF Division 1 baseball championship at stake.

League champion St. John Bosco and Santa Margarita clashed for the fourth time this season and it took extra innings until the dust settled and the Braves came away with a 3-2 victory and the school’s first baseball championship before a capacity crowd of 3,010.  

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With Ethan Russell on in relief for the Eagles in the ninth inning, Aaron Garcia led off with a single to left for St. John Bosco.

One out later, he took second on a passed ball. Jaden Jackson was then intentionally walked. Russell struck out Noah Everly for the second out. Moises Razo followed by drawing a walk to load the bases. Miles Clark then came to bat and drilled the game winning RBI single to center to give St. John Bosco the championship.

“I stayed calm and stayed focused, and I hit a fastball,” said Clark. “I was a little nervous, but I knew my teammates had my back. These are the guys I play for. It’s amazing to be a champion.”

The Braves. ranked No. 1 in the California and No. 9 in the nation by Maxpreps, lost in the CIF Division 3 final last season. The Eagles, ranked No. 5 in California by Maxpreps, were attempting to win their third championship. Santa Margarita won its last CIF title in 2019. The Eagles reached the CIF final in 2023

“This game may go down in history as the most exciting and greatest championship game ever in southern California CIF history,” said Braves Coach Andy Rojo.

“Two years ago, we were 1-14 and we flipped it. I give a tremendous of credit to my coaching staff. They guys have a lot of experience, and I just let them do what they do. This is the greatest baseball team in Bosco history. We did a lot of impressive things and give credit to Santa Margarita. When I took this job two years, I wanted to model our program after theirs. I had a lump in my throat for them.”

Friday’s contest was the fourth time the two teams have played each other this season with St. John Bosco winning three times. The Braves are 8-2 in one-game games this season and won their 16^th consecutive game and 25 of their last 26 games.     

Both teams had an opportunity to win it in regulation, but both came up with outstanding defenses plays to push the game into extra innings.  

Jack Champlin came on in relief in the sixth inning for St. John Bosco with one runner on and no outs and retired the three hitters he faced to shut down the Eagles and foil their rally. He then retired the Eagles in order in the seventh inning. Santa Margarita left 11 runners on base in the game.  

“We know each other very well and there was a little animosity coming into this game and a lot of chirping,” said Champlin. “We got walked off last year in the championship game and we didn’t want that to happen again. It was an emotional game and it’s amazing to win the school’s first baseball championship.”

Jhett Ohira led off the bottom of the seventh inning for the Braves and was hit by a pitch. He was then sacrificed to second by Aaron Garcia. James Clark was intentionally walked. Both runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch.

Jackson was then intentionally walked to load the bases. Brennan Bauer retired Noah Everly on a short fly to right. Moises Razo came to bat with the bases loaded and two outs with the entire crowd was on its feet. The crowd became mysteriously quiet before each pitch to Razo. Razo worked a full count before blasting a long fly to right center that Andre Owens ran down for the third out.

Santa Margarita rallied in the top of the eighth inning, but St. John Bosco pulled off a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning and get out of a jam.

Bauer was outstanding for the Eagles as he pitched five innings in relief and allowed one hit and no runs. The Eagles loaded the bases in the first inning, but Braves starting pitcher Gavin Cervantes struck out Ben Finegan and got Warren Gravely IV to line out to short to end the inning to prevent Santa Margarita from getting on the board.                                        

Razo, a Fresno State commit, drilled a one-out two-run double to right field in the bottom of the first to give St. John Bosco as 2-0 lead.

Eagles second baseman Brody Schumaker, a TCU commit, cut the Braves lead to 2-1 with a two-out double to right in the top of the second inning.

Santa Margarita had scoring opportunities in the second, third and fourth innings but came up empty, leaving four runners on base. Freshman hurler Brayden Krakowski relieved starter Gavin Cervantes with one out and two runners on in the fourth inning and got out of a jam.

Santa Margarita tied the score at 2-2 in the top of the fifth inning. Carter Enoch led off with a single to right center. Aramis Perez pinched ran for Enoch and was sacrificed to second by Ben Finnegan. Perez moved to third base on Graveley IV’s single to left and scored when Blake Ankrum laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt up the first base line, scoring Perez.   

Santa Margarita Coach Chris Malec was disappointed by the loss but emphasized how proud he is of his players.

“What these players have done for their school and community is unbelievable,” said Malec. “It hurts a lot to lose. It was an emotional game filled with great plays. Afterwards, I told the guys that I love them and that I’m proud of them. They’re hurting right now. This game is what a CIF Division 1 championship game should look like.” 

Notes:

—Santa Margarita seniors graduated on Friday morning at 10 a.m.

—Santa Margarita has won two CIF titles, in 2014 and 2019, with a regional title in 2023.     

—Eagles center fielder Andre Owens, an Oklahoma State commit, made an outstanding running catch in left center field in the third inning to take away an extra base hit away from St. John Bosco’s DH, Jaden Jackson. Bosco right fielder Macade Maxwell, a Holy Cross commit, made a diving catch in the first inning to prevent an Eagles run from scoring.

—Braves left fielder Noah Everly made a spectacular diving catch on the warning track in the top of the ninth inning off the bat of Carter Enoch for the second out of the inning.