The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters.
The562’s coverage of St. Anthony athletics is sponsored by Jane & B.I. Mais, Class of 1949.
The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly is sponsored by Bryson Financial.
The spring season for high school sports came to an end in the CIF State SoCal Regional brackets for softball and baseball, with Long Beach Poly and St. Anthony the last local teams out on the diamond.
Coming off the first CIF-SS championship in program history, the Long Beach Poly softball team made a long road trip up to Porterville, where they took on Monache High in the opening round of the CIF State SoCal Regional Division II playoffs.
The Jackrabbits came up just short in a 3-2 loss to the Marauders, but were also playing in a higher division for the state tourney. Poly won the Division 4 title in the Southern Section, but were bumped up two divisions for state.
Poly took an early lead over Monache, as Kween Tauala’s RBI triple scored Emoni Lam Sam to open the scoring in the top of the first inning. After the Marauders tied things up in the second, the Jackrabbits got back on top in the seventh inning when Lam Sam’s clutch two-out RBI single brought home Bella Cisneros for the go-ahead run.
Unfortunately for the traveling Jackrabbits, they were unable to hold onto the lead in the bottom half of the seventh. The Marauders walked off with a pair of runs, rallying with three consecutive singles with two outs in the inning for an exciting 3-2 win.
Poly ended the season 20-7 overall, making school history with their first CIF title. There’s also a ton of returning talent for the Jackrabbits as they continue the program’s upward trajectory.
Over in the CIF State baseball playoffs, the St. Anthony Saints were bumped up to Division III, and drew a road trip to top-seeded Dos Pueblos in the first round.
After a trip to Goleta, the Saints suffered a 10-2 defeat against the Chargers, falling into an early 7-1 hole through three innings.
Aidann Ruiz and Benny Lane each had a pair of hits to lead the way for the Saints offense. An RBI groundout by Jaylen Butler drove in the first St. Anthony run in the third inning, and John Arnold stole home in the sixth to bring home the other run for the visitors.
A great playoff run for the Saints ended in consecutive defeats, but it was still a memorable season for Kris Jondle’s program, posting a strong 21-10 overall record after winning 12 of their final 14 games in 2025.
