SANTA ANA — The St. John Bosco baseball team earned a share of its first Trinity League title since 2017 with an 8-1 victory at Mater Dei on Friday.
Bosco swept this week’s three-game series against the Monarchs, winning the first two games in extra innings on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Our guys have been grinding away,” St. John Bosco second-year coach Andy Rojo said. “We just keep telling them, we think we’re a pretty athletic team and over the course of a series we’re pretty good at we’ll eventually win the series with the depth that we have position player-wise and also on the mound.”
The Braves have won 16 of their last 17 games and improved to 19-4 overall and 11-1 in the Trinity League. Bosco finished fourth in league in 2024 and in last place in 2023.
Braves junior Noah Everly, who had previously thrown four innings this season, started the game and picked up the win by allowing only four hits, one run and one walk over three innings.
Everly also helped himself with the game’s first two RBIs, including a hit that gave the Braves a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning. He later scored on a passed ball to make it 3-1 in the fourth.
“It’s a hot streak going on,” Everly said. “It’s a feeling but I’m ready. I’m going to keep it going.”
Bosco added five runs in the sixth inning. The first run scored on an out by junior first baseman Moises Razo. Subsequent runs came via a two-RBI double by junior center fielder Miles Clark, Clark scored on a passed ball and senior catcher Micah Taguiam hit a solo home run.
“It feels great just knowing that we’ve came a long way,” said Taguiam, one of the team’s handful of senior starters. “These new coaches came in, they flipped this program around. I feel like we just came a long way ever since and we’ve been doing a great job. The team loves each other, everybody likes each other, so we’ve got good chemistry.”
The Braves will conclude Trinity League play with a three-game series next week against JSerra. They can clinch an outright title with one more league win or if Orange Lutheran (19-5, 8-4) loses one of its three games against Mater Dei next week.
“It’s a learned skill,” Rojo said about the team’s nearly perfect run in the Trinity League. “You have to remind these (players) that it literally is day by day, game by game, pitch by pitch. We have to keep these (players) focused.”
Mater Dei (13-11, 3-9) started junior Kai Bratton on the mound. He went three innings and allowed one hit, one run and seven walks. He struck out two batters.
Everly’s sacrifice fly scored junior shortstop James Clark for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Clark reached base by drawing a leadoff walk. He moved to second on a fielder’s choice by junior designated hitter Jaden Jackson. Clark stole third base to put himself in prime scoring position.
Bosco junior left fielder Jhett Ohira stepped to the plate with bases loaded, after three straight walks by Bratton, and flew out to end the top of the first.
Mater Dei sophomore third baseman Sebastian Navarro hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the first. Navarro reached second base on a passed ball. Senior designated hitter Bradley Beadreau singled to put runners on first and third with no outs.
Mater Dei junior center fielder Ezekiel Lara hit a sacrifice fly that scored Navarro and tied the game at 1.
Junior Mason Mejias relieved Bratton to begin the fourth inning for Mater Dei.
Everly’s two-out RBI single scored freshman third baseman Aaron Garcia as Bosco took a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Garcia drew a leadoff walk and reached second on a passed ball. He moved to third on a sacrifice fly by James Clark.
Mejias was relieved by sophomore Justin Garcia with two outs. Garcia inherited bases loaded and threw a wild pitch that allowed Everly to score. The Braves led 3-1.
Bosco freshman Brayden Krakowski relieved Everly and threw three scoreless innings. Junior Aidan Dahlk retired the side in order in the seventh inning to secure the 8-1 win.
St. John Bosco junior pitcher Noah Everly and senior catcher Micah Taguiam on @SJBoscoBaseball’s rise to earn at least a share of first place in the Trinity League.
Bosco beat Mater Dei 8-1 in Santa Ana Friday night. pic.twitter.com/ibYhkGMhxa
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 26, 2025
St. John Bosco baseball coach Andy Rojo on his team’s 8-1 win at Mater Dei.
The Braves swept the Monarchs in this week’s three-game series. pic.twitter.com/G6VUGxqxhk
— John W. Davis (@johnwdavis) April 26, 2025