On May 20th fans drove out to Long Beach State to watch the Aliso baseball team compete in the CIF Division 3 finals. The Wolverines came into the game with a 19-13 record and the champions of the Sea View League. They played against the San Marcos Royals from Santa Barbara The Royals had a 22-7 record, and had gone 12-2 in the Channel League earning them first place. 

The team originally had a rough start to the season, losing five straight games in the preseason. It was not looking good for the rest of the season. But, after their success in league the team had an optimistic outlook towards the CIF tournament. They advanced easily through the tournament having decisive wins against Dan Hills, Redondo Union, and La Serna High School. 

In the week leading up to the game the team prepared to face off against an advanced pitcher who was predicted to be a future MLB pick. Head Coach Craig Hansen said the team was very bought into the game plan and were able to execute it efficiently. They focused on shortening their swings and preparing against a hard fast ball. 

But before the game even started he really wanted the team to focus on one thing. 

“I told them to try and soak it all in when you get here and relax when the game starts and to keep doing what we have been doing all season.” 

The game started off slow with neither team scoring in the first three innings. Things started to pick up in the 4th inning. After a fumble from the opposing teams catchers #8 Jonathan Nadolski (11) and #12 Damon Anderson was able to score the first two points of the game. That momentum continues through the next 2 innings with the Wolverines scoring one more run in the 5th inning and five more runs in the 6th inning. The team earned themselves an 8-0 lead and San Marcos was scrambling to defend. 

The Royals were able to score a run in the sixth inning but were unable to continue that trend. At the start of the 7th inning it was 8-1 and Aliso was up to bat again. The Wolverines were able to score 2 more runs with Senior #29 Luke Guttenberg scoring the final point. San Marcos attempted to make a comeback at the end of the 7th inning but they were unable to score any points against the wolverines defense. The final score was 11-1, an incredible win for the Wolverines.