Baseball: Bonita earns No. 1 seed in Division 3; Amat No. 2 in Division 4; South Hills goes 20-4 and has wild-card game in D-2?

“It’s a slap in the face to the (Sierra). Are we the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the division? I’ll never understand the process, but it just doesn’t make sense. But as much as I want to complain, cry and moan, I can’t do that. It is what it is, we’ll line up and we’ll go play. “South Hills coach Kevin Smith after his Huskies finish 20-4 and have to play a wild card on Tuesday.

Click here for CIF baseball pairings

By Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
South Hills High School baseball coach Kevin Smith was shocked when the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 baseball playoffs were announced Monday. After finishing 20-4 overall and tied with Chino Hills for the Sierra League title, South Hills lost the head-to-head tiebreaker with Chino Hills for the league’s top playoff entry, but Smith never thought entering the playoffs as a second-place team with an impressive resume would result in a wild-card game. There are 48 teams in Division 2, with 16 teams in the first-round and 32 playing wild card games. Of the 16 teams in the first round, 12 are league champions and four finished second. (To continue story and view playoff pairings, click thread)

Tuesday’s wild card schedule
Division 2

Damien at Redondo Union, 3:15 p.m.
Rancho Verde at South Hills, 3:15 p.m.
Division 3
Ocean View at Diamond Bar, 3:15 p.m.
Walnut at Knight, 3:15 p.m.
Division 4
Grace Brethren at Northview, 3:15 p.m.
Baldwin Park at Bishop Montgomery, 3:15 p.m.
Nogales at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel, 3:15 p.m.
Division 5
Azusa at Paraclete, 3:15 p.m.
Mountain View at Linfield Christian, 3:15 p.m.
El Monte at Gladstone, 3:15 p.m.
Duarte at Rubidoux, 3:15 p.m.


Smith wonders how a team like Mission Viejo, who finished 18-13 overall and second in the Sea View League, is in the first round while South Hills is hosting Inland Valley at-large Rancho Verde (13-3-1) in a wild-card today at 3:15 p.m., with the winner facing Pac-7 champ Arroyo Grande (20-7) in the first-round on Thursday.
“I know Glendora is in the Baseline now, but they were in the Sierra last year and won the CIF title,” Smith said. “It’s a respect factor. I don’t know how a team that finishes in a tie for a league title, has the record that we do and plays the types of teams that we do gets jobbed like this.
“It’s a slap in the face to the (Sierra). Are we the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the division? I’ll never understand the process, but it just doesn’t make sense. But as much as I want to complain, cry and moan, I can’t do that. It is what it is, we’ll line up and we’ll go play (today.)”
Glendora (17-6-1), the defending champion and Baseline League’s top entry, could face a familiar foe in the first round. Glendora awaits the winner of today’s wild card with Damien (14-12) at Redondo Union (15-15). If the Spartans win, they will be at Glendora on Thursday.
Chino Hills (18-8) will open the first round Thursday against the wild-card winner between St. Francis (14-13) and Peninsula (19-8-1).
As expected, Bonita (24-4) earned the No. 1 seed in Division 3 and will host the winner of today’s wild card between Bell Gardens (13-7) and Lakeside (12-11-1) in the first-round on Friday.
Other Division 3 wild card games today are Ocean View (16-10) at Diamond Bar, and Walnut (8-13) at Knight (12-11).
Los Altos (18-9), which finished second to Bonita in the Hacienda, will host Rialto (18-9) in the first round Friday.
Bishop Amat (24-4) is the No. 2 seed in Division 4 and will open the playoffs at home Thursday against either Ridgecrest Burroughs (14-8) or Chaffey (12-13).
Valle Vista League champion San Dimas (19-8-1) is home against the wild card winner between Chino (25-6) and Palm Springs (14-12).
Covina (16-10), which finished second in the Valle Vista, is home against La Salle (17-10) in the first round Thursday.
In Division 4 wild cards today, Northview (12-13) is at Grace Brethren (9-14-1), Baldwin Park (13-12) is at Bishop Montgomery (11-14) and Nogales (14-12) is at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel (14-12).
Montview League champion Sierra Vista (19-4) leads a large contingent in the Division 5 playoffs.
Sierra Vista will host West Valley (10-16) in the first-round on Friday.
Mission Valley champion Arroyo (15-7) is home against Lompoc (15-10-7) and La Puente (15-7) is on the road against Desert Hot Springs (12-10).
In Division 5 wild-cards today, Azusa (8-14) is at Paraclete (19-6), Mountain View (12-10) is at Linfield Christian (17-7), Duarte (10-10) is at Rubidoux (10-11) and Gladstone (15-6) is home against El Monte (10-10).

CIF-Southern Section
BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
DIVISION 2

Tuesday’s wild card
A–Pioneer Valley at Dos Pueblos
B–Miller at Vista del Lago
C–Damien at Redondo
D–Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Mayfair
E–Pasadena at Placentia Valencia
F–Rancho Verde at South Hills
G–Rancho Cucamonga at Yucaipa
H–Norwalk at Aliso Niguel
I–Hoover at Bellflower
J–Santa Maria St. Joseph at Buena
K–St. Francis at Peninsula
L–Tustin at Etiwanda
M–Palos Verdes at Paso Robles
N–Valley View at Garden Grove Pacifica
O–San Luis Obispo at Alemany
P–La Sierra at Redlands East Valley
Thursday’s First round
Top Bracket

Winner wild-card A at #1 Cypress
Winner wild-card B at Mission Viejo
Winner wild-card C at Glendora
Winner wild-card D at Crescenta Valley
Winner wild-card E at Harvard-Westlake
Winner wild-card F at Arroyo Grande
Winner wild-card G at West Torrance
Winner wild-card H at #4 Santa Barbara
Bottom Bracket
Winner wild-card I at #3 Redlands
Winner wild-card J at Canyon Springs
Winner wild-card K at Chino Hills
Winner wild-card L at Trabuco Hills
Winner wild-card M at Chaminade
Winner wild-card N at Los Osos
Winner wild-card O at La Mirada
Winner wild-card P at #2 Arcadia

DIVISION 3
Tuesday’s wild card
A–Lakeside at Bell Gardens
B–Ocean View at Diamond Bar
C–Palmdale at Downey
D–Irvine University at Santa Fe
E–Walnut at Knight
F–Cajon at Heritage
G–Warren at Westminster La Quinta

Friday’s first-round
Top Bracket

Winner wild-card A at #1 Bonita
Northwood at Lancaster
Loara at Gahr
San Gorgonio at Garden Grove
Winner wild-card B at Colton
Paloma Valley at El Rancho
Montebello at Santa Monica
Winner wild-card C at #4 Beckman
Bottom Bracket
Winner wild-card D at #3 Alhambra
Winner wild-card E at Rancho Alamitos
Culver City at Westminster
Winner wild-card F at Paramount
Hawthorne at Temescal Canyon
Rialto at Los Altos
Whittier at Woodbridge
Winner wild-card G at #2 Quartz Hill

DIVISION 4
Tuesday’s wild card

A–Estancia at Anaheim
B–La Canada at Summit
C–Grace Brethren at Northview
D–Baldwin Park at Bishop Montgomery
E–Montclair at Victor Valley
F–Bloomington at Indio
G–South Pasadena at Nordhoff
H–Jurupa Valley at Katella
I–Palm Springs at Chino
J–Nogales at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel
K–North Torrance at Troy
L–Chaffey at Ridgecrest Burroughs

Thursday’s first-round
Top Bracket

Winner wild-card A at #1 Palm Desert
La Salle at Covina
Winner wild-card B at Colony
Winner wild-card C at Sonora
Winner wild-card D at Oaks Christian
Winner wild-card E at Savanna
Monrovia at El Segundo
Winner wild-card F at #4 Laguna Beach
Bottom Bracket
Winner wild-card G at #3 Torrance
La Habra at Don Lugo
Winner wild-card H at Granite Hills
Winner wild-card I at San Dimas
Winner wild-card J at La Quinta
Winner wild-card K at Kaiser
St. Bonaventure at Temple City
Winner wild-card L at #2 Bishop Amat

DIVISION 5
Tuesday’s wild card

A–Twentynine Palms at Serrano
B–Azusa at Paraclete
C–Mountain View at Linfield Christian
D–Arrowhead Christian at Maranatha
E–Templeton at Mary Star
F–Aquinas at Shadow Hills
G–El Monte at Gladstone
H–Duarte at Rubidoux

Friday’s first-round
Top Bracket

Winner wild-card A at #1 Woodcrest Christian
Gardena Serra at Cerritos Valley Christian
Gabrielino at Lompoc Cabrillo
Winner wild-card B at Hemet
Winner wild-card C at Oak Hills
La Puente at Desert Hot Springs
Winner wild-card D at Citrus Valley
Winner wild-card E at #4 Campbell Hall
Bottom Bracket
Winner wild-card F at #3 Whittier Christian
Lompoc at Arroyo
Riverside Notre Dame at Montclair Prep
West Valley at Sierra Vista
Winner wild-card G at Nipomo
Sultana at Tahquitz
Ontario Christian at Big Bear
Winner wild-card H at #2 Cathedral

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