Santa Ana finishes unbeaten weekend to claim 3C2A Baseball State Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback
|
0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 1 |
|
Santa Ana
|
5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 | X | 21 | 20 | 2 |
CCCAA State Championship
Tournament Central
FOLSOM – The Santa Ana College baseball team pounded its way to the top of the California Community College baseball mountain with a 21-8 win over Saddleback College in the finals of the CCCAA Baseball State Championship on Monday at Folsom Lake College.
Led by State Tournament MVP, Christian Thompson, who went 5-for-5 with three runs and an RBI in the biggest game of the 2023 season, the Dons capture their first state championship since 1996, when the school was named Rancho Santiago College. Santa Ana finishes the regular season 36-15 after winning all three games at the State Final Four.
Thompson finished the tournament with 10 hits 16 at-bats (.625 batting average) with seven runs scored and four RBI in just three games played. In addition to his offensive performance, Thompson's strong play in the outfield helped lead the way for the Dons' road to the state title.
For the state runner-up Bobcats (38-13), a shorthanded pitching staff was exposed in the fourth game in three days as the Dons racked up 21 runs on 20 hits against the Orange Empire Conference rivals.
The Dons drew early blood in the bottom of the first with five runs and from there, both teams lit up the FLC scoreboard like a Christmas tree for the next several innings. Saddleback hung tough and trailed 13-7 before Santa Ana landed the haymaker in the bottom of the sixth, scoring seven times to blow the game wide open.
Mikey Rocha went 1-for-3 with a home run, three runs and five RBI, while Mario Tostado added two hits, including a home run, a run scored and five RBI. David Celoski picked up the win for Santa Ana, throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings with two hits, no walk and two strikeouts.
Ben Castelli went 1-for-4 with a three-run double and finished with four RBI. Isaiah Morales, Cole Koniarsky, J.P. Hefft and Jack Collins each had two hits to pace Saddleback's 12-hit effort.
(Tony Altobelli, CCCSIA)
