BELLFLOWER — We control our destiny. That’s what St. John Bosco baseball coach Andy Rojo tells his team daily.
Through execution, timely at-bats, team defense and clutch pitching, Bosco knocked off rival Mater Dei 7-2 at home on Tuesday, to begin a three-game Trinity League series with playoff implications that will continue on Wednesday at Mater Dei and end Friday back in the Bellflower.
“We feel really confident with this team,” Rojo continued. “Position by position we feel we stack up with anybody so it’s really about mentality these next three weeks.”
The Braves improved to 14-4 overall and 4-3 in the Trinity League play, as the baseball program eyes their first postseason berth since 2017.
“It’s the first time in a long time for this program to be in this position late in the season to have a chance to get into the playoffs and control our own destiny,” Rojo continued.
Sophomore starting pitcher Julian Garcia led the Braves with a complete game. He threw seven innings and gave up two runs, seven hits and one walk, while recording two strikeouts.
“It felt good,” Garcia said. “Super good. I know the boys really wanted it. We went out pumped up.”
Mater Dei (12-7, 2-5) was coming off winning the Boras Classic last week but trailed 6-1 midway through the rivalry game and did not score multiple runs in the fourth inning when they had bases loaded with no outs.
Monarchs senior center fielder Antonio Ganem hit a leadoff single. Mater Dei sophomore left fielder Ezekiel Lara singled to center field, which put runners on first and second with no outs in the top of the first inning. Garcia settled in and got an infield flyout for his first out of the game. The Braves defense followed up with an unconventional double play after senior fielder Julian Villasenor caught a fly ball and threw it to junior third baseman Owen Stelzer, who whipped it to junior second baseman Carlos Barajas, who tagged Lara out as he was trying to advance to second after tagging up.
Bosco senior first baseman Zack Woodson’s RBI double to deep center field, scored sophomore Jaden Jackson from second and gave the Braves a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
An RBI single by Bosco junior catcher Micah Taguiam, scored sophomore designated hitter Noah Everly, who narrowly escaped Mater Dei junior catcher Lawson Olmstead’s sweeping tag, which made it 2-0. Bosco sophomore left fielder Moises Razo’s sacrifice RBI, which scored Woodson, made it 3-0.
Mater Dei senior shortstop Braden Ruiz’s line drive RBI single scored junior second baseman Dylan Wetzel, which cut Bosco’s lead to 3-1 in the top of the second inning.
Razo’s two-RBI triple scored Everly and Woodson and extended Bosco’s lead to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning.
“I feel like the energy was amazing (Tuesday),” Razo said. “We just need to stay consistent.”
Villasenor’s sacrifice RBI scored Razo and the Braves led 6-1.
After a reach on an error and two singles, the Monarchs found themselves with bases loaded and no outs in the top of the fourth inning. Ruiz’s sacrifice RBI scored Wetzel and made it 6-2. Garcia struck out Ganem and got Lara to ground out to first to end the inning.
“Relax, breathe, focus and attack and I got out of it,” Garcia continued. “I know my teammates were behind me, I know I was a ground ball away from getting out of it and we made it happen.”
“Julian is a workhorse for us,” Rojo added. “Young guy, a tremendous talent, he’s only a sophomore but it shows you his guts, especially in the fourth inning where he minimized that bases loaded nobody out and kept it to one run. I told him at the end of the game, that’s where he won the game and he earned the right to go deep into the game and you weren’t going to take him off the mound unless he finished.”
In the bottom of the fourth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, Razo drew a walk, which scored Bosco junior outfielder Macade Maxwell, the team’s leadoff hitter who reached base during all four plate appearances with two singles and two walks. The Braves led 7-2.
Garcia threw scoreless innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh to close the victory.
“I think this was probably the best game I’ve thrown this season,” Garcia explained. “I went out with lots of confidence.”
St. John Bosco baseball coach Andy Rojo on @SJBoscoBaseball’s 7-2 win in game one of a three-game series against Trinity League rival Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/4hG2KEFjIz
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 10, 2024
St. John Bosco sophomore pitcher Julian Garcia threw a complete game to lead @SJBoscoBaseball to a 7-2 win against rival Mater Dei. pic.twitter.com/OOysLbqQPh
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 10, 2024
St. John Bosco sophomore left fielder Moises Razo went 1-2 with 4 RBIs, including two-RBI triple in @SJBoscoBaseball’s 7-2 win against rival Mater Dei in game one of a three-game series. pic.twitter.com/6YVa7fpUJi
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 10, 2024
Final: St. John Bosco 7, Mater Dei 2. pic.twitter.com/8V52JJwLB9
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 10, 2024
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