Baseball: Yes, Bonita takes top spot

TOP-TEN POLL: After one week the only undefeated team is Gladstone (6-0), and they’re not in our top ten? If you want an explanation, look at their schedule. Now, Bonita deserves No. 1, but Northview is right there. Bishop Amat does fall all the way to No. 5 with two losses, especially after allowing so many runs to Diamond Ranch. Nogales makes a big push in the rankings following the return of all-everything Andrew Melchor. Diamond Bar is the best .sub 500 team in the Valley. And Damien, look at what they did in that tournament east of here. The Sierra League is scary. Only three teams get to the postseason, but all six are talented. When Diamond Bar is the only team with a losing record, you know it’s going to be a long drawn-out fight until the end.

Games to watch this week:
Today: Covina at Baldwin Park, 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday: South Hills at Nogales, 3:15 p.m.
Thursday: Diamond Bar at Glendora, 3:15 p.m.

Baseball Top Ten Poll
1. Bonita (3-1) — Leading up to the rankings I thought the Bearcats were a team too many slept on. They weren’t ranked in the preseason Division III poll, but had all the big pieces coming back. Northview fans are going to argue they won head-to-head, but it wasn’t convincing enough to stop the tournament champions from taking over the top spot.
2. Northview (3-1) – Beating Murrieta Valley, Diamond Ranch and Bonita is certainly impressive. But they lost to Claremont when they were 0-2 and that sticks out like a sore thumb. Who knows, maybe a little taste of humble pie will serve them well in the long run.
3. Glendora (3-1) — Except for their 8-4 loss to Bonita in the championship, the Tartans made a statement. They were the most consistent from start to finish, scoring 23 runs and allowing only 3 all the way to the finals.
4. Damien (3-1) — What a terrific job coach Leyva has done in his short time with the program. They went to the Chino tournament and beat Miller, which is Miller’s only loss; beat Kaiser and lost a close 3-2 game to Yucaipa. That’s impressive any way you look at it.
5. Bishop Amat (2-2) – The amount of runs the Lancers are allowing has to be concerning. They have two of the best pitchers back, but maybe they’re no so deep after that. It will be interesting to watch how they bounce back from two humbling losses in the Glendora tournament.
6. San Dimas (3-1) — We only know of the four games posted, and one was a 15-2 loss to Chino Hills. They might be the only team in the Valle Vista capable of dethroning Northview. But we still don’t know enough about them.
7. Nogales (4-1) — Andrew Melchor, injured his junior year is back and what a difference it makes. Are they good enough to topple South Hills in the San Antonio? We’ll see.
8. Diamond Ranch (2-2) — When you swing the bat as well as they do you have the potential to knock off good teams like Bishop Amat. But don’t expect any consistency.
9. Diamond Bar (2-3) — The Brahmas arguably have played the toughest schedule so far, and with it comes wins over Long Beach Wilson, Villa Park and a loss to El Toro, one of the best teams in the Southern Section.
10. South Hills (3-3) — After starting 0-3, the Huskies rallied back to win three straight, beating Arroyo, Colony and Don Lugo. They’re still a mystery. Maybe the loss of Shirley affected them early, but they seemed to have regained their form.
Others of note: Gladstone (6-0), West Covina, (3-1), Charter Oak (1-2).

Baseball Standings and Schedules
Del Rey League
Miramonte League
Mission Valley League
Montview League
San Antonio League
Sierra League
Valle Vista League

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