Baseball Rankings: Nogales takes its turn atop the leaderboard; Bonita, South Hills, Northview and Diamond Bar also in top five

LOOK WHO’S NO. 1: Nogales, off to its best start in recent memory, takes its spot atop the area baseball rankings.
Staff photo by Keith Birmingham

Here’s this week’s area baseball top 10 rankings:
1. Nogales (11-0) — Romano’s clan just keeps on winning. The Nobles one-two pitching tandem gives them the best chance in the home-and-home Valle Vista League format.
2. Bonita (9-1) — The Bearcats showed some of their muscle, rallying for a 6-5 victory over Cypress, which is one of the top teams in Orange County and ranked No. 5 in CIF-SS Division 2. Bonita still looks like the favorite in the Hacienda League.
3. South Hills (7-2) — It was a hit and miss week for the Huskies, who hit a bump in the road with an 8-7 loss to un-ranked Charter Oak, but responded with a 1-0 victory over Damien. You still have to put them as the Sierra favorite
4. Northview (8-2) — The Vikings tumbled a bit after losing to rival Covina at home, then returned the favor to beat the Colts. Expect Northview to be in the thick of the Valle Vista League race.
5. Diamond Bar (8-1) — The Brahmas looked like the real deal, sweeping Los Altos in dominating fashion after outscoring the Conquerors, 15-2. Are they ready to challenge Bonita? We find out later.
6. San Dimas (9-2) — The Saints took care of business with a sweep of Wilson. Now comes the real tests in coming weeks with home-and-homes against Baldwin Park, Covina, Northview and Nogales.
7. Glendora (7-3) — The Tartans drop a spot after losing on the road at Los Osos. But I still like Glendora to take the Baseline.
8. Bishop Amat (4-5) — The Lancers are finding their second win, riding a three-game win streak into this week, including an impressive win over Alemany, which was undefeated in the Mission League.
9. Baldwin Park (6-2) — It took a two-run seventh for Nogales to beat the Braves. This is a team that will make some waves in the Valle Vista title chase.
10. West Covina (9-2-1) — The Bulldogs are showing they are for real, holding their own in the Hacienda so far in the Hacienda, spliting their first two series.
OTHERS: Damien (4-4), Los Altos (5-4), Charter Oak (3-3), Covina (5-5), Ayala (7-3)

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