Sage Hill earns No. 1 seed again

For going 23-1 during the regular season, the Sage Hill School baseball team earned the top seed in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs.

This marks the second straight year the No. 1 seed went to the Lightning.

Sage Hill is one of three local programs making the postseason this year. The others are Corona del Mar and Estancia, which are in Division 3 and 4, respectively.

Out of the three, the Eagles (17-13) opened the playoffs first. They lost in a wild-card game at Sonora, 8-0, on Tuesday. Jeff Alai and Jake McIntyre both went two for three.

Academy League champion Sage Hill plays host to Yermo Silver Valley (13-7), an at-large entry from the Desert Mountain League, in a first-round game on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.

The Sea Kings (21-4), the third-place team from the Pacific Coast League, travel to Sunbelt League champion Lake Elsinore Temescal Canyon (19-9) for a first-round contest on Friday at 3:15 p.m.

Last year, only the Lightning advanced past the first round. Sage Hill went as far as the quarterfinals.

— David Carrillo Peñaloza