Villa Park and St. John Bosco deliver playoff classic, Spartans’ late push falls short

Villa Park junior outfielder Dominic Gutierrez steps into the batter’s box for Friday’s CIF playoff game. St. John Bosco catcher is Micah Taguiam. (PHOTOS: Adam Kunin, For OC Sports Zone).

With a spot in the CIF Division 1 baseball semifinals at stake, Villa Park and St. John Bosco put on a theatrical display in a game that turned into a 3 ½ hour thriller on Friday at Villa Park.

After nine grueling innings, St. John Bosco overcame a late comeback from Villa Park to prevail over the Spartans 4-3 on the road in the quarterfinals of the CIF Division 1 playoffs. 

The Braves (25-4) advance to take on Corona High School on Tuesday. 

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Meanwhile, barring a team backing out of its spot in the CIF Southern California regionals, Villa Park’s season comes to an end in the quarterfinals of the CIF playoffs.

The Spartans (24-7) didn’t go down quietly, mustering one last magical rally to send the game into extra innings.

Trailing 3-1 and down to its final out, Villa Park managed to get two runners on base, giving senior designated hitter Val Lopez a chance to bring home the tying run. With his team’s season on the line, Lopez delivered. The senior blasted an RBI triple to right center to bring home two and tie it up at 3-3. 

Additionally, sophomore right-handed pitcher Logan Hoppie gave the Spartans 4 ⅓ scoreless innings on the mound to hold Bosco at bay until his team could find an offensive spark.

Resilience and toughness have proven to be two hallmarks of Villa Park this season. And, in front of a packed crowd, the Spartans once again displayed their grit by refusing to give in.

“We talk about handling adversity and being able to come back from it,” Villa Park Coach Burt Call said. “They responded and did a good job today with that. So I’m very proud of the way they always have fight in them.”

Yet, Bosco didn’t flinch. The teams exchanged scoreless eighths before the Braves snatched the lead back in the ninth courtesy of an RBI double off the bat of junior designated hitter Jaden Jackson. 

It proved to be all the visitors needed, as in a tense bottom of the ninth, Bosco danced around some trouble to escape with a 4-3 victory. 

In an emotional affair, St. John Bosco dealt with its own adversity, managing to fight through some late turbulence and a tough road environment to pick up a signature victory. 

“We had about five moments that we could have just given in,” St. John Bosco Coach Andy Rojo said. “But this team is an extremely close group of guys, and they fought through that.”

One of those moments came in the sixth when freshman right-handed pitcher Brayden Krakowski faced a bases-loaded situation. The freshman, who only joined the team in December, stonewalled the Spartans with a strikeout to end the inning and evade a jam. 

“He’s a freshman in terms of class, but not from a mentality standpoint,” Rojo said. “He’s been in some really big moments … He’s done that all year.”

Villa Park struggled to crack through the Braves’ pitching all day long, as junior right-hander Gavin Cervantes turned in a stellar performance. He tossed five innings and only conceded one run to lead the way for St. John Bosco. 

Junior righty Jack Champlain picked up the save for Bosco, holding the Spartans scoreless in 2 ⅓ innings on the mound. 

For Villa Park, the loss likely marks the end of the road for the many seniors in the program. The group proved to be crucial to the Spartans’ success during the postseason and helped continue to push the program to compete among the best teams in Southern California. 

“Our seniors are kind of what drives your team chemistry,” Call said. “It’s a special group, and they always put the team first. They always respond, and everybody else falls in line. It’s a great senior class and I’m very proud of the way they’ve conducted themselves over their four years.”

This Villa Park team is the fourth group under Call to reach the quarterfinal round of the CIF playoffs. With the season coming to an end, he reflected on his squad’s season and admired the dedication of his team. 

“This team was really special,” Call said. “The way they competed and came together as a team … We have guys that work on a daily basis, and I thought that’s why we’ve been successful.”