SATURDAY’S CIF-SS BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS
DIVISION 3
St. John Bosco (20-10) vs. Beckman (24-6-1)
Where, when: Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium, 10 a.m.
Outlook: St. John Bosco, a major achiever in football and basketball, is making its first appearance in a CIF-SS baseball championship game. The Braves tied with Servite for fourth in the six-team Trinity League with a 6-9 league record. In the playoffs the St. John Bosco beat Grace Brethren 14-0 in the first round, Corona del Mar 5-3 in the second round, El Seguindo 3-2 in the quarterfinals and South Torrance 2-1 in the semifinals. Bosco senior Owen Tomich is batting .333 with 16 RBIs. Zach Woodson leads the Braves in RBIs with 20. Braves probable starting pitcher is sophomore right-hander Julian Garcia who is 7-2 with a 2.43 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 63 innings.
Beckman is 1-2 in CIF-SS baseball finals. The Patriots won a CIF-SS championship in 2011. Their most-recent finals appearance was a loss in 2018. Beckman finished second behind Northwood in the Pacific Coast League with a 16-4-1 league record. The Patriots in the playoffs defeated Temecal Canyon 1-0 in the first round, La Habra 6-5 in the second round, Newbury Park 6-1 in the quarterfinals and Los Alamitos 3-0 in the semifinals Tuesday. Beckman senior infielder and leadoff hitter Ken Tomitaka is batting .318. Patriots probable starting pitcher is senior right-hander Zach Ireland who signed with UC Davis.
DIVISION 8
Pacifica Christian (22-6) vs. Azusa (17-5)
Where, when: Lake Elsinore Diamond Stadium, 4 p.m.
Outlook: Pacifica Christian was seeded No. 1 and Azusa was seeded No. 2 in this division. Pacifica Christian, a private school in Newport Beach, is in its first CIF-SS baseball championship game. The Tritons shared the San Joaquin League championship with Capistrano Valley Christian. In the playoffs they defeated Academy of Academic Excellence 6-4 in the first round, United Christian Academy 20-2 in the second round, New Roads 12-0 in the quarterfinals and San Bernardino 4-3 in the semifinals. Scout Escobedo’s hit drove in Blake Hayes with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning in the win over San Bernardino. Sophomore Johnny Coopman is the Tritons’ probable starting pitcher. He is 8-1 with a 0.50 ERA and is batting .459 with 40 RBIs.
Azusa is in its second CIF-SS baseball final, having won a section championship in 1983. In these playoffs the Montview League co-champion the Jaguars beat Santa Rosa Academy 10-0 in the first round, Academy of Careers and Exploration 15-1 in the second round, Santa Clarita Christian 9-1 in the quarterfinals and Edgewood 9-5 in the semifinals. Senior Josh Torres is batting .494 with 41 hits. Isaac Miranda is batting .403 with 22 RBIs. Torres is the likely starting pitcher for Azusa. He is 8-1 with a 1.74 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 68⅓ innings.
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