Bonita Coach John Knott has the Bearcats playing great ball early in the season and will send out his ace, Justin Garza, on Saturday night against South Hills at Jay Littleton Ballpark in Ontario.

The Bonita (4-0) offense awoke from its early-season slumber flashing its lumber and first-inning thunder to defeat the La Puente Warriors, 7-2, setting up a much-anticipated final against South Hills on Saturday night in the Dick’s Sporting Goods preseason tournament.

Bonita’s Thomas Castro got things started with a one-out triple in the bottom of the first. Justin Garza promptly cashed in Castro with a bloop-single to right. After a single by Nolan Henley and a walk by Jacob Blunt to load the bases, Anthony Gonzalez smashed a two-run double to put Bonita up 3-0. Tyler Heslop completed the scoring by lifting a sacrifice fly to the left-center field fence.

Meanwhile, junior Parker Merritt did a nice job on the mound, shutting down La Puente through the first four frames, backed by a successful pick-off in the first and two double plays. For the fifth inning, Bonita Coach John Knott handed the ball to Sam Stavang, who wiggled out of a bases loaded jam after surrendering two runs. The junior hurler was perfect in the sixth before the Bearcats’ fire-balling Alec Garcia impressively closed the game with a pair of strike outs.  

With the Bearcats leading 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Bonita shortstop Justin Row added to Bonita’s cushion, slugging a two-out home run over the left field fence with Heslop aboard.

“We talk about that all the time, come out, try to score first, set the tone, dictate the tempo,” coach Knott said. “I thought Castro did a really good job tripling, then Justin Garza stayed inside the baseball, hit a seeing-eye single, then Henley hit the ball well. We had some well-hit balls. Gonzalez almost hit a ball out of there. Heslop almost did.

“If we want to be a playoff team, a championship-type team, it can’t be one or two guys.”

Bonita finished with seven hits, led by Row, Gonzalez and Garza, who each had two RBIs.

Garza (2-0), who has yet to surrender a run in the young season and will be gunning for his 19th victory in a row, is set to take the hill against South Hills.

“We’re hoping to get a really good crowd,” Knott said.

Because such a large crowd is anticipated, the final will be played at Jay Littleton Field at E. 4th St. and N. Grove Ave. in Ontario at 7 p.m. The 2,000-capacity ballpark, built in 1937, served as the filming location for “A League of Their Own,” the 1992 movie starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis.

Pest control problems? The company to call is A Tovar right here in La Verne at (909) 593-2345!