Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff, right, and Chase Marlow, center, celebrate after they both scored runs in the first inning against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker, Gavin Spiridonoff, Blake Ankrum and Lucas Owens, from left, do a little dance in the infield after the Eagles won their CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff against Crespi in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Carter Enoch, right, slides safely into second for a double as Crespi’s Josh Stonehouse applies the late tag in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Ben Finnegan scores a run on a hit by Andre Owens in the fourth inning against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita pitcher Brennan Bauer delivers a pitch against Crespiin the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Ben Finnegan (7) is welcomed by teammates incuding Trevor Banning (1) after scoring a run in the fourth inning against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi starting pitcher Jackson Eisenhauer leaves the game in the fourth inning during the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff against Santa Margarita in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff charges a grounder to get the Crespi runner at first in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff scores a run in the fourth inning against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Brody Schumaker fields a hard grounder against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi’s Gavin Huff sprints to first base during the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff against Santa Margarita in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Santa Margarita’s Lucas Owens, right, and Gavin Spiridonoff celebrate winning the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff game against Crespi in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi’s Mikey Martinez fouls off a pitch against Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi’s Jackson Eisenhauer delivers a pitch against Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi’s Josh Stonehouse strikes out against Santa Margarita in the sixth inning during the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Crespi’s Nate Lopez dives but can’t get to a sharp grounder to his left against Santa Margarita in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Show Caption1 of 16Santa Margarita’s Gavin Spiridonoff, right, and Chase Marlow, center, celebrate after they both scored runs in the first inning against Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinal baseball playoff in Santa Margarita on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer) Expand
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — Santa Margarita’s baseball team scored 10 runs in the fourth inning on its way to a 12-0 win over Crespi in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals Tuesday at Santa Margarita High.
The Eagles will play Trinity League foe St. John Bosco in the Division 1 championship game Friday night at Cal State Fullerton.
Santa Margarita (20-12) was the only Trinity League team to beat St. John Bosco this season, but the Braves won the three-game series, 2-1.
“They are a well-coached and disciplined team. We had a good series against them,” Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec said. “It’s two experienced ball clubs and we are looking forward to a really good challenge.”
Santa Margarita reached the CIF-SS championship round in 2023 and won the CIF Southern California Regional championship that season. The Eagles last won a CIF-SS baseball championship in 2019.
The Eagles plated 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, which lasted over 45 minutes and led to three pitching changes by Crespi (24-3).
Carter Enoch led off the inning with a double and Ben Finnegan advanced Enoch to third with a bunt single. Warren Gravely IV hit a run-scoring single to extend Santa Margarita’s lead to 3-0.
Andre Owens hit a two-run single and after a walk, Brody Schumaker drew a bases-loaded walk to score a run. On the ensuing at-bat, Chase Marlow bunted to the pitcher, but Crespi’s catcher’s foot was not on home plate as he received the throw and another run scored.
Gavin Spiridonoff drew a bases-loaded walk and Enoch hit a sacrifice fly to make the score 9-0. Finnegan hit a two-run triple and Gravely drove him in with an RBI single to extend the lead to 12-0.
“They took really gritty at-bats; quality at-bat after quality at-bat,” Malec said of his players. “They were able to link together and trust the guy behind them. It was a dream inning.”
The big lead put Malec in a position to limit how much he used ace pitcher Brennan Bauer so he will be available to pitch in the championship game. Bauer allowed two hits in five scoreless innings and threw just 49 pitches.
“He was down for a long time that inning so that factored into the equation,” Malec said. “We started the inning with him and saw how he felt. He went out there and threw up a zero and that opened us up to go to the pen.”
Finnegan led Santa Margarita’s offense going 3 for 4 with a double, a triple and four RBIs. Gravely went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and Andre Owens went 1 for 3 with two RBIs. The Eagles drew five walks and had just two strikeouts.
Christian Fregoso pitched 2⅔ innings of scoreless relief for Crespi. The Celtics won the Mission League this season and beat El Dorado and Mira Costa in the earlier playoff rounds.
Malec wouldn’t commit to saying whether Bauer would start the championship game Friday or if he would use UCLA signee Hayden George. Bauer earned his school-record 23rd career win, breaking the previous record held by Griffin Canning, who is now with the New York Mets.
“We need to talk about it and see how the guys feel,” Malec said. “They have a lot of activities coming up with a Baccalaureate Mass and graduation on Friday. We have some work to do to get ready to play a team that ran through our league.”
George allowed one earned run in five innings against St. John Bosco in a 5-3 loss earlier this season. Bauer struggled against St. John Bosco with six runs allowed in four innings.
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