St. John Bosco baseball wins back-to-back CIF championships with victory over Norco

FULLERTON — In a star-studded matchup with back-to-back titles on the line, Julian Garcia delivered the finest performance of his young career, striking out a career-high 14 batters and allowing just one hit as St. John Bosco defeated Norco 2-0 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game on Friday at Goodwin Field.

Under the bright lights with nearly 5,000 fans glued to every pitch, Garcia was unfazed. His mindset was clear.

"Go out and compete," Garcia said. "Go hard and earn our last 21 outs together."

Justin Mendez-The Sporting Tribune

St. John Bosco High School Pitcher Julian Garcia #12 pitches during the CIF Championship game at Goodwin field on May 29, 2026 in Fullerton, California.

The second batter Garcia faced, Codey Brown, launched a ball just over the out-stretched glove of centerfielder Miles Clark for a one-out double. Garcia would strand Brown in scoring position after striking out Zion Martinez and Jacob Melendez to end the frame. After the double, the Long Beach State commit would go on to retire the final 20 Norco hitters.

His fellow senior acknowledged how the team feels when their ace takes the hill. 

"Extremely confident," Clark said. "He works super hard every day, super proud of him."

Garcia had the entire arsenal working to perfection. The senior featured a fastball that lit up the radar gun from the opening pitch, blowing 96MPH heaters past the top of the Norco order. Garcia's best pitch, a sharp breaking ball that hangs in the upper 70s with an elite spin rate, had Norco struggling to create any traffic. However, it was Garcia's third pitch that caught the eye of the right hander. 

"The changeup was on today," Garcia said. "I was throwing it for strikes."

The game carried added significance for Garcia, who spent the last season recovering from Tommy John surgery which forced him to miss his entire junior season.

"It shattered my heart last year not getting to play," Garcia told Los Angeles Times columnist Eric Sondheimer. "This moment is everything for me."

While Garcia stole the show, Norco's starting pitcher Jordan Ayala nearly matched him with a resounding performance of his own. 

Ayala, who reclassified to join the class of 2027, also went the distance — allowing three hits and two runs, only one of which was earned. Ayala reached double-digit strikeouts, punching out 10 and walking two on 94 pitches.

With a pitching duel in full effect through four innings, the game entered the fifth still locked at zero.

After a single, wild pitch, walk and passed ball gave the Braves runners at second and third with one out. Miles Clark, the hero who hit the walkoff single to win the 2025 CIF championship game, broke the scoreless tie with a sacrifice fly to right field to give Bosco a 1-0 lead. 

"We work hard for this, starting way back in August," Clark said. "To be able to accomplish this, it feels amazing."

With the elite stuff of both starting pitchers on display, every swing mattered. Clark's approach during his at-bat in the fifth inning proved to a key turning point in the game. 

"Don't try to do too much," Clark said. "Sit on the slider and drive it the other way."

Jack Champlin would double the lead with a two-out, RBI triple off the left field wall to provide an insurance run for the Braves in the sixth. That would be all the run support Garcia would need.

After striking out Brown and Martinez, Garcia got Melendez to fly out to right field to end the game — securing a second straight title and sending the Braves faithful into a frenzy.

Norco falls short in the championship game for the third time in school history, previously losing in the finals in 1984 and 2019. St. John Bosco becomes the first team since the 2022-23 JSerra Lions to win back-to-back CIF Southern Section Division 1 championships.

In the midst of celebrating with his teammates and coaches, Garcia took a moment to reflect on the season and his time with this group of people.

"I'm a little sad it's over," Garcia said. "These are my brothers."