Fourteen teams from across the San Diego Section received a trip to the big leagues over the weekend by participating in the eighth annual CIF Prep Baseball Showcase at Petco Park, home of the Major League Baseball San Diego Padres.
The Bonita Vista Barons and Mater Dei Catholic Crusaders renewed their Metro-Mesa League rivalry by taking it to a new level as they opened league play last Saturday morning in the Padres’ downtown stadium.
The Barons won, 6-0, to go up 1-0 in league play.
The scope of the game was not lost on any of the players.
“Before the game, I wanted to get on base to get the experience of running the base paths on a major league field,” confessed Bonita Vista senior shortstop/pitcher Daniel Schneemann. “But regardless of what happened, I knew it was going to be a great experience because I was going to get the experience of playing on a major league field.”
Let’s just say that Schneemann had quite an experience. He reached base four times in four plate appearances by going 3-for-3 three at the plate with a walk thrown in for good measure, scored three runs and drove in another run. He also pitched the final inning on the mound, recording one strikeout and holding the Crusaders hitless in closing out the memorable BV victory.
The Barons improved to 16-3 on the season.
Starter Ricky Reynoso pitched six innings, allowed just two hits while striking out seven batters. He also issued two walks and hit one batter. He faced a total of 24 batters in the game and threw 95 pitches.
Schneemann threw 15 pitches in his one inning of work.
The Crusaders (0-1 in league play, 5-12 overall) advanced a runner to third base with one out in the bottom of the first inning but Reynoso ended the threat with a pair of clutch strikeouts.
Mater Dei Catholic placed runners at second and third bases in the bottom of the third inning but stranded both.
The win, which gave the Barons a 2-0 record in two appearances at Petco Park, also was the 200th for Baron head coach Vince Gervais.
The team posed in front of the Petco Park scoreboard after the game to soak in the entire experience.
The BVHS coach focused on the importance of the win.
“We’re 1-0 in league and that’s the key right now,” said Gervais, whose team hosts Mater Dei Catholic Friday at 4 p.m. in the return game of the teams’ two-game series. “If you’re going to win a championship, you’ve got to start by winning league and there’s not a better way to start than by winning your first league game.”
Reynoso improved to 7-0 on the hill with a 0.32 earned-run average. He’s struck out 51 batters in 44 innings and allowed just 16 hits.
“Ricky really didn’t have his curve ball working, so he had to rely on his other pitches,” Gervais noted. “He’s probably our most experienced player in terms of baseball experience, going back to Little League and Pony League and now high school, so he’s someone who’s not going to panic out there.”
The Barons wasted little time in taking the lead on the scoreboard as Schneemann scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning on a throwing error.
Bonita Vista, officially classified as the visiting team for the game, increased its lead to 3-0 with two more runs in the top of the third inning and tacked on single runs in each of the ensuing three frames.
The Barons finished the game with 11 hits; the Crusaders committed four errors and allowed three unearned runs in the loss.
Cris Isaaks, Kevin McCann and Andres Velasco each scored one run for the victors. Isaaks and Velasco both had two hits while Chris Manookian, Chris O’Neill, Blake Flippen and Reynoso each picked up one hit in the game.
Isaaks and Reynoso each received credit for one RBI along with Schneemann.
The Barons could have potentially had more runs in the game as they stranded 11 players on the base paths.
Isaaks leads Bonita Vista with a .390 hitting average while Schneemann tops the squad with 20 hits and 13 RBI.
Gervais said the goal for his team is to continue what has now become a six-game winning streak.
“We’re right where we want to be at this part of the season,” the BVHS coach explained. “We wanted to play well in our league opener at Petco and continue to play Barons baseball after that, which means good pitching and defense and finding ways to score runs.”
Despite the setback, Mater Dei Catholic’s players enjoyed the “once-in-a-lifetime” experience of playing in a major league ballpark, according to MDCHS athletic director Bill Gerken.
“Playing in a major league baseball park is the dream of every young boy or girl who plays baseball,” Gerken said. “The boys, even though they did not put on their best face for the game, several errors cost the team four runs, the Crusaders got to live a lifetime dream and play at Petco. Thanks to the Padres and CIF for making it happen.”
