Bosco defeats nation’s top-ranked baseball team to advance to championship game
St. John Bosco players celebrate their win over Villa Park in their CIF-SS Division 1 quarterfinals at Villa Park High School on Friday May 22, 2025. St. John Bosco defeated Villa Park 4-3 in nine innings.(Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)
BELLFLOWER — With the biggest upset of the CIF-Southern Section playoffs, the St. John Bosco Braves shutout top seeded Corona, 2-0, in a CIF-Southern Section Division 1 Semifinal Tuesday (May 27).
With three prospective MLB first round draft picks on the roster, the Braves shut down Corona by allowing only two hits.
With the win, the Braves advanced to the championship game and will play Santa Margarita Friday (May 30) at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field.
Santa Margarita (20-12) defeated Crespi, 12-0, in the other semifinal game.
To get to the semifinals, Bosco (26-4) defeated host Villa Park, 4-3, in nine innings in a quarterfinal game Friday (May 23)
“(Corona) is a legit number one in the state and the country and they are defending CIF Champions,” St. Joh Bosco second-year coach Andy Rojo said. “They lived up to every billing that they came into. As strange as it sounds, at any given game or time, anyone can win.”
In the 2-0 win over visiting Corona, Braves senior lefty Trevor Heishman (6.1 IP, 1 H, 9 Ks) outdueled top MLB prospect Seth Hernandez (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 9 Ks).
Bosco scored the first of its two runs in the second inning after junior third baseman Jack Champlin singled to left field, stole second and came home on a single to center field by senior second baseman Marcade Maxwell.
Hernandez only allowed one batter to reach in the next two innings, as he struck out four batters.
The Braves scored their second run in the fifth inning on a lead off double to left by junior shortstop James Clark, who advanced to third on a wild pitch and came home on what at first was a ball that got away from Corona catcher Jesiah Andrade. However, a balk was actually called on Hernandez.
Meanwhile, Heishman was sailing along for the Braves allowing only a double in the third inning and allowed only four batters to reach base (3 walks, 1 HBP) through the second batter in the seventh.
Heishman gave way to Champlin in the seventh, as he walked one batter and got the final two outs on a strike out (Gavin Flores) and fly out (Andrade) to center to end the game.
Champlin received his second save in as many games in the playoffs, as he also closed the quarterfinal game for the Braves.
Bosco defeats Villa Park in extras in the ¼’s
In the quarterfinal win over host Villa Park, Champlin closed the game in the final 21/3 innings for the save.
“It felt amazing on that final out and I let (Villa Park) know it,” Champlin said. “Being able to have that moment when I’m the guy that has the ball in my hand with the game on the line just feels great.”
The Braves, who only had four hits in nine innings, opened the game with two runs in the top of the first, as junior designated hitter Jaden Jackson reached on an error and stole second. That was followed by a hit batter to junior left fielder Noah Everly and a single by junior first baseman Moises Raza to load the bases.
Villa Park catcher Shawn Romero tried for a pickoff at third trying to get Jackson, but the ball sailed high and into left field, as both Jackson and Everly scored for the 2-0 lead.
Villa Park answered with a run in the bottom of the first as junior right fielder Aidan Young opened with a single to right, went to second on a wild pitch and eventually came home for their only run until the seventh.
The Braves added an insurance run in the fourth inning when Champlin scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Clark, to lead, 3-1.
St. John Bosco starting pitcher Gavin Cervantes scattered five hits through his five innings of work before giving way to freshman reliever Brayden Krakowski.
Cervantes had a runner in scoring position on third in the fifth but got out of the jam with a force out at second by Clark to end the inning.
The Spartans rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh after two outs.
Junior left fielder Dominic Gutierrez walked, moved to second after Romero reached on an error by Braves freshman second baseman Aaron Garcia. Gutierrez and pinch runner Joseph Ramirez came home to tie the game, 3-3, on a triple to right field on a diving attempt to catch the ball by Maxwell.
Champlin came in to record a strikeout for the final out of the inning leaving the runner on third.
Both teams failed to score in the 8th inning, but Bosco came through with a run in the ninth.
Garcia atoned for his seventh-inning miscue with a hustle play to reach first as the Villa Park shortstop threw the ball in the dirt and he advanced to second. After an intentional walk to Clark, Jackson came through with the go-ahead run-scoring single to right scoring Garcia.
“I hit the ball to short and ran hard to first and the bad throw and I got to second,” Garcia said. “It’s always huge to get the first batter on base and the pressure is on them.”
Jackson said of his hit to score Garcia, “Man, that hit felt amazing,” he said. “I knew we needed that hit in extra innings and glad we were going on the next round (semifinals).”
The Braves had finished first in the always tough Trinity League with a 14-1 record and
Rojo commented on the game and how Garcia came through after his error.
“Credit to Aaron Garcia because that was a tough emotional moment to get over the error and he put the pressure on the shortstop and had the presence of mind to advance to second,” he said.
“The game was good energy and it’s division 1 Southern Section playoff baseball and you can’t take anything for granted and play to the final out.”
