Baseball:

It would be difficult to find a more intriguing first round playoff game that pitted two SGV power programs quite like Bonita vs Arcadia.

Both Ryan Marcos and Nick Lemas lead programs that vie for a league championship year in and year out.

Of the 16 CIF-SS Division 1 games, the only other league champ vs league champ is Pacifica at Torrance.

To be transparent, Ayala and Bonita were the Palomares League co-champions, as both finished 9-1, but a coin toss designated the Bulldogs a second-place entrant into the postseason.

Arcadia entered the final week of their regular season trailing Crescenta Valley by one game.

But the Apaches picked up a two-game sweep of the Falcons to win a fourth consecutive Pacific League title (2019 & 2021-2023).

As mentioned in an earlier story, AHS was a heavy favorite to win the 2020 league crown, but COVID-19 paused life as we knew it, and the season ended after seven games.

This Bearcats vs Apaches showdown shapes up like an old-school pitcher’s duel.

BHS and AHS have team ERA’s of 1.84 and 1.55, respectively.

And the likely match will be Justin Santiago vs Ian Hoffstetter.

Santiago is 8-0 with a 0.79 ERA.

Santiago no-hit Alta Loma back on March 17th, and throughout 2023, he’s walked 18 and struck out 79 opposing batters in 61 2/3 innings.

Ian Hoffstetter finished his senior (regular) season 8-1 with a 1.37 ERA.

Hoffstetter has issued 30 walks, while striking out 83.

The Arcadia offense has produced 61 more runs (148-87) and 46 more hits (190-144) than Bonita.

Fernando Palencia, who has to be considered the runaway favorite for Pacific League MVP, has put on a show in 2023 that very few can match.

Palencia leads the Apaches in batting (.467), hits (35), runs (26), doubles (10), home runs (2), OBP (.553), SLG (.680) and OPS (1.233).

Palencia’s 15 RBIs are tied with Avery Truesdale and Devon Eskridge for the team lead.

On the mound, Palencia is 7-1, with a 0.93 ERA.

He’s walked 12 and struck out 49 in 37 2/3 innings.

Other offensive leaders for AHS include: Truesdale (.379, 25 hits, 23 runs, 15 RBIs, six doubles and one triple), Eskridge (.307, 27 hits, 23 runs, 15 RBIs, six doubles and four triples), Christian Garcia (.328, 22 hits, 19 runs, 14 RBIs, four doubles & two triples), Ben Cooper (.327, 18 hits, 11 runs, 10 RBI’s & two doubles), and Brayden Herrera (.310, 22 hits, 13 runs, 18 RBIs, three doubles, three triples and one HR).

Bonita has some firepower of its own.

Aside from his 4-1 record on the mound with a 1.56 ERA, including a no-hitter over Claremont, the Bearcats’ Garrett Patterson leads the way with a .346 batting average.

Patterson has tallied 18 hits, scored seven runs, driven in 10 and has a pair of doubles.

Bonita’s Bryan Bradshaw is batting .312 with 20 hits, 12 runs, 10 RBIs, two doubles and a triple.

Andrew Sanchez (.333, 10 hits, four runs, eight RBIs, two doubles & one HR), Colton Perez (.302, 13 hits, 10 runs, four RBI’s & one double), Jared Brunk (.296, 16 hits, 11 runs, nine RBIs, four doubles & one HR), Tyler Holley (.269, 14 hits, 11 runs, seven RBIs and five doubles) and Diego Vazquez (.254, 17 hits, 15 runs, eight RBIs, one double, a triple & one HR) have all made invaluable contributions for BHS at the plate and in the field.

The game is set for today (Wednesday) at 3:15 at AHS.

The Bonita-Arcadia winner likely gets a Tuesday date with No. 1 seeded Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (26-2).

Just below is a statistical comparison of both programs.

By the Numbers:
Records: B (17-4); A (20-4)
League Finish: B (Palomares co-champs w/Ayala); A (Pacific champs)
Runs Scored: B (87); A (148)
Runs Allowed: B (47); A (52)
Team ERA: B (1.84); A (1.55)
Most Wins: B (Justin Santiago, 8); A (Ian Hoffstetter, 8)
Team Batting Average: B (.270); A (.293)
Team Hits: B (144); A (190)
Most Hits: B (Bryan Bradshaw, 20); A (Fernando Palencia, 35)
Team Home Runs: B (4); A (3)
Bonita’s Road Record: 5-2
Arcadia’s Home Record: 10-3
Current Streak: B (won six); A (won two)