FULLERTON – It was what a Division 1 baseball championship game is supposed to look like.
The CIF Southern Section final had everything one could want in a baseball game: excellent pitching, great defensive plays and timely hitting.
The timeliest of hits was supplied by St. John Bosco’s Miles Clark. His base hit up the middle in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs gave St. John Bosco a 3-2 win over Santa Margarita in the Division 1 final Friday at Cal State Fullerton.
It is St. John Bosco’s first CIF-SS baseball championship. The Braves lost to Beckman in last year’s Division 3 final.
St. John Bosco improved to 27-4 by winning the battle of Trinity League rivals in a game that lasted 3 hours, 18 minutes. Santa Margarita is 20-14.
Seating capacity at Goodwin Field is 3,500. Standing-room spectators added another 200 or so to the crowd count, and all were treated to a dramatic baseball game befitting a Division 1 championship.
Braves No. 9 hitter Aaron Garcia opened the bottom of the ninth inning with a single and advanced to second base on a passed ball. One out later, Jaden Jackson was intentionally walked and Mosies Razo walked to load the bases. Clark drilled a hard-hit ground ball up the middle of the infield to send home Garcia with the winning run.
Miles Clark with the base hit to win it for St John Bosco 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth… pic.twitter.com/cSgWA5rIl1
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 31, 2025
“It hurts a lot,” said Santa Margarita coach Chris Malec. “Because our kids put themselves out there. Our kids fought, worked to get to this point, and to have the disappointment of being so close, and have a heartbreaking loss … It’s a testament to how good their ball club is and how good our ball club is.
“You want to be on the winning side of that thing. It’s unfortunate not to be, but I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, who they are, how they represented our school and how they competed tonight.”
Santa Margarita junior second baseman Brody Schumaker had two hits and drove in a run. Blake Ankrum drove in the Eagles’ other run. Carter Enoch had two hits for Santa Margarita.
Eagles senior Brennan Bauer, who was the pitcher of record in Santa Margarita’s four previous playoff wins, entered in relief to start the fourth inning and pitched five scoreless innings, giving up one hit and two intentional walks while striking out four.
The Eagles loaded the bases in the first inning but did not score. Schumaker stroked a single to left field, went to second base on Chase Marlow’s four-pitch walk and Enoch’s single to right put Eagles on all three bases. Braves starting pitcher Gavin Cervantes got a strikeout for the inning’s second out and Warren Gravely IV lined out to Braves shortstop James Clark to end the inning.
St. John Bosco took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. James Clark led off with a triple to right field, Jackson walked on four pitches and stole second base without a throw. Razo’s double to right field drove in Clark and Jackson.
Santa Margarita got a run in the top of the second. Lucas Owens reached on a two-base error and scored on Schumaker’s double to right-center field to make it 2-1.
The Eagles tied the game with a run in the top of the fifth inning.
Enoch singled and was replaced by pinch-runner Aramis Perez. Perez advanced to second base on Ben Finniegan’s sacrifice bunt. Gravely’s hard-hit ground ball got by Bosco shortstop James Clark to move Perez to third base. Ankrum then pulled an outstanding drag bunt down the first-base line and Perez slid across home plate before Braves first baseman Razo’s throw could get there, tying the game 2-2.
Lucas Owens led off the Santa Margarita sixth inning with a single, proceeded to third base on two ground outs but was stranded there.
In the bottom of the seventh, Braves pinch-hitter Jhett Ohira was hit by a pitch to open the inning. Ohira went to second base on Aaron Garcia’s sacrifice bunt. Clark was intentionally walked, and a wild pitch put Ohira on third base and Clark on second.
Jackson was intentionally walked to load the bases, offering Santa Margarita a force out on all bases. Bauer, who replaced starter Hayden George to begin the fourth inning, had a 3-1 count on Noah Everly when Eagles pitching coach Willie Kuhl made a mound visit. On the next pitch Everly flew out to right fielder Chase Marlow for the second out of the seventh.
Up next was Razo who worked a 3-2 count before hitting a deep fly that was caught by center fielder Andre Owens to end the inning and send the game into extra innings.
Wow. Bottom of the 7th. Winning run on 3B. Full count, 2 outs. 2-2 game. Moises Razo of St John Bosco out on a see fly ball to CF. Let’s go to extra innings!!! pic.twitter.com/VuAJZWAFGu
— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 31, 2025
In a game full of outstanding plays, St. John Bosco left fielder Everly perhaps made the play of the game in the top of the ninth when he raced to the warning track to make a diving back-handed catch of a deep drive by Carter Enoch for the inning’s second out.
The season continues for both teams in the CIF Southern California Regional playoffs that begin Tuesday. Both teams’ coaches confirmed that they will accept the invitation to play in the regional. Corona, which lost to St. John Bosco in the Division 1 semifinals, declined the regional invitation.
The regional brackets will be released Sunday.
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