Bonita cruises to easy victory with pitcher Justin Garza getting plenty of rest for next week
True to the playoff mantra, there was drama Friday on the Bonita High School baseball field.
It lasted one inning.
After the top seed in CIF-SS Division 3 allowed an uncharacteristic run in the first inning, Bonita quickly pulled away for an 18-1 victory over San Gorgonio in the first round of the playoffs.
It may have only been one run, but considering the circumstances, it qualified as dramatic.
Bonita pitcher Justin Garza, who has signed with Cal State Fullerton and is sure to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft in June after leading the Bearcats (27-2) through a dominant regular season, walked eight batters in 65 regular-season innings. He walked the first batter of Friday’s game.
Amat breezes to victory, Monrovia next: First-round playoff games can often cause coaches anxiety, but Bishop Amat High School baseball coach Andy Nieto had it as easy as possible on Friday afternoon. Even if he was reluctant to admit it after the game.
Amat rode pitcher Daniel Zamora and the hot bats of Luis Moya and Andrew Medina to a 11-0 win over visiting Burroughs of Ridgecrest in the opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 4 playoffs.
La Puente loses heartbreaker in extras: The three-hour bus trip back home was a lot easier for Santa Ynez after the Pirates knocked off La Puente, 8-6, in 10 innings in a first-round CIF-Southern Section Division 5 baseball playoff game Friday.
Friday’s first-round playoff results
Division 3
Bonita 18, San Gorgonio 1
Los Altos 5, Lakeside 2
Division 4
Bishop Amat 11, Ridgecrest Burroughs 0
Division 5
Santa Ynez 8, La Puente 6 (10)
Hemet 8, Mountain View 0
Sierra Vista 8, Riverside Notre Dame 5