Bonita, led by coach John Knott, finished the Dick's Sporting Goods Preseason Tournament, 4-1, good enough to take home the runner's-up trophy.

Playing on its biggest stage of the young season – the finals of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Pre-Season Tournament — Bonita’s bats went meekly into the night, the team falling 2-0 against South Hills High School.

“You can’t get shut out and expect to win, I don’t think that’s ever happened,” Bonita head coach John Knott said.

Bonita collected lead-off singles in the second and seventh innings by Jake Blunt and Justin Row, respectively. Only one Bearcats runner reached second base all night, as the team was unable to solve the magic of Huskies’ hurlers Adrian DeHorta and Ty France who combined for a two-hit shutout.

“There’s no secret,” Knott added, awaiting the presentation of the runner-up trophy and a full set of catching gear awarded by the sponsors of the tournament, which included Easton and Rawlings. “We have to get better with the bats if we expect to beat anybody. This was disappointing offensively. We struck out way too many times.”

 But it was actually on the defensive side that Bonita got hurt the most. In the top of the first, after South Hills’ Danny Sheehan chipped a lead-off single to center, Bonita threw the ball into the Bonita first-base side dugout, allowing Sheenhan to advance to third with no outs. Then Justin Garza, going for his 19th win in a row, walked Anthony Muniz putting runners on the corners.

Bonita's Jake Blunt landed a new set of catching gear from the sponsors, which included Dick's Sporting Good, Easton and Rawlings.

Characteristically, Garza buckled down, striking out both C.J. Taylor and Ty France, the Huskies’ vaunted offensive duo  headed to San Diego State next fall, but after the strikeout of France for the second out, Muniz broke for second. Bonita catcher Jake Blunt whistled a strong throw toward second that shortstop Justin Row cut off and fired to home, but the ball sailed over Blunt’s head allowing Sheehan to score.

 More important, it set the tone for the game, puncturing the invincibility of Bonita anytime Garza is on the hill.

In the second, the Huskies added an “insurance run” with a two-out double by Isaiah Gonzales and an RBI single from James Arevalo hitting at the bottom of the order. Again, Bonita had a clear chance to cut down the runner, but the throw by center fielder Nolan Henley sailed over Blunt’s outstretched catcher’s mit.

“We had a chance to throw the guy out at the plate in the first and in the second, and we didn’t do it,” Knott said. “You have to give them credit for putting pressure on us and doing just enough to win.”

Played in front of a jammed house at classic Jay Littleton Ballpark in Ontario, the game had a playoff atmosphere.

“To win it all, you have to do the little things,” Knott said.

It’s an early lesson in a long season for the promising Bearcats, who despite their offensive disappearance finished as the runner-up in the successful tournament, giving valley fans everywhere a glimpse of more great baseball to come.

Talk about the game at The Pizza Barn in La Verne, where the food is always delicious and the beer is always cold!