Beckman High School secured its second CIF Southern Section Division 3 baseball championship with a 2-1 victory over St. John Bosco in a thrilling fashion.
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the eighth inning. With Isaiah Kapur on second base, Jagger Snitko hit a line drive to right field, allowing Kapur to slide home and seal the win.
Beckman coach Kevin Lavalle also led the Patriots to their first title in 2011. He celebrated another triumph, matching the championship legacy of his father, Hi Lavalle, who led Dominguez and Canyon to CIF championships.
The game was tightly contested, with St. John Bosco scoring first in the second inning. Beckman, which finished the season 25-6-1, responded in the third when Ken Tomitaka scored on a throwing error, tying the game 1-1.
Strong pitching performances from both teams kept the championship game deadlocked until the eighth inning. The inning began with Tomitaka getting hit by a pitch, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Zach Ireland, advancing Tomitaka to second base. After an intentional walk to Kapur, a ground ball from Jack Terry led to a force out at third, but moved Kapur to second.
Snitko then delivered a crucial hit to right field. Beckman’s third-base coach, Doug Ireland, waved Kapur home, who slid in just ahead of the tag to score the winning run.
“I thought he was out,” Snitko told the Orange County Register. “But he put a good slide on it.”
Beckman’s pitching duo was formidable, with senior right-hander Zach Ireland, who has committed to UC Davis, pitching seven innings, allowing just two hits, one unearned run, and striking out five. Senior left-hander Rex Jarcy pitched a scoreless eighth to secure the win.
