At the 2008 Maverick Baseball Team Awards Banquet the Individual Player Awards announced by Coach Justin Machado were:

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER     -    D A N N Y   B E T H E A

OUTSTANDING DEFENSIVE PLAYER   -    P H I L L I P   E V A N S

C0 - PITCHERS OF THE YEAR  -   T Y L E R   K O R N   and 

                                                     G A R R E T T   H U G H E S

The 2008 Varsity Winter Baseball Schedule

All games start at 10:30

1/5/08    Granite Hills @ Mavericks

1/12/08   Mavericks @ El Capitan

1/19/08   Mavericks @ Mira Mesa

1/26/08   Cathedral @ Mavericks

2/2/08    Mavericks @ Valhalla

2/9/08    Mavericks @ San Ysidro

MARK YOUR CALENDARS.

 On Friday April 11th, 2008 at 4:00pm the La Costa Canyon Mavericks will play the Rancho Bernardo Broncos in a Palomar League regular season game as the first game of a total of five high school baseball games to be played at the PADRES' PETCO PARK the weekend of April 11th and 12th.  There will also be a Friday night game and three games on Saturday on the Major League field.

North County Times - March 24, 2008

By Terry Monahan - Staff Writer

"Before the start of baseball season, La Costa Canyon coach Justin Machado was looking around the dugout one day and noticed something about his coaching staff. Of the seven guys coaching at the varsity, junior varsity and freshmen levels, six of them had graduated from San Dieguito High.  the other one played three seasons at San Dieguito before transferring to LCC when LCC opened and San Dieguito closed and later reopened as the San Dieguito Academy.  That means the Mavericks' entire staff played, and learned, the game of baseball under coach Matt Chess.  Chess, now in his third season at Torrey Pines, was reminded of his involvement with the Mavs' staff when his Falcons lost the Pirate-Falcon Classic Championship game to La Costa Canyon this year.

"Whenever we play LCC it's like old home week," said Chess, 47. "Seeing how they're doing gives me a great feeling and reminds me just how old I really am.  They tend to get on me first because I knew them back when they were just teenage imps.  That doesn't mean I want to lose to them."

Machado and pitching coach Tim Kechter, who has been with Machado since LCC opened, graduated from Chess' class in 1989. Jason Hill played at San Dieguito for three years before graduating from LCC.

"Kechter was just hanging around the field with nothing to do when I asked him to coach," Chess remembered. "San Dieguito had something like 25 straight losing seasons and no playoffs since Sam Blalock played second base for them."

Junior varsity coach Jet Cook graduated in '94, while Jose Balderas was a '95 graduate. Freshmen coaches Ryan Gold and Cole Liniak both graduated in '95.

"Matt made an impact on all our lives," said Machado, who coached for Chess at San Dieguito in '96 before getting the Varsity job at La Costa Canyon when it opened in the fall of '96. "I'd hang out with Matt in the dugout after college, and he got me excited about staying in baseball."

"Getting all San Dieguito guys was totally an accident.  I told Matt about it, but he already knew the connection.  He was just waiting for the kids to figure it out."

Chess, a 1979 graduate of Poway, had two different stints at San Dieguito.  He coached the JV for two seasons ('86-87), when Machado and Kechter were on the team, and the varsity for three seasons ('94-96), when he encountered the rest of LCC's staff.

Jeff Alexander was also in that group, but he now coaches the Torrey Pines freshmen team.

"It was a vein of baseball guys who came along at the same time," Chess said.  "To me, coaching is for the love of the game and to teach the game to kids.  Try to keep it fun and win too.  High school baseball is not a business yet."

One tendancy that Machado did not acquire from his association with Chess was his mentor's penchant for long--- very long, according to Machado--- postgame talks with his players.

"Im 30 seconds and out," said Machado, laughing.  " There were some of those talks that went on forever."

Chess admitted to that.  " I guess Justin sat through too many of those," Chess said. "In trying to make them better players and better people, I try to make sure my little humans know they're the most important people out there all the time."

Chess asked his current Falcons if any of them had an interest in coaching baseball.  He said 17 raised their hands.  So the Mavs may have even more future Chess-men coming down the road."

(However, playing at Torrey Pines may disqualify them from coaching at La Costa Canyon.)

NORTH COUNTY TOURNAMENT

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Ramona beats Rancho Bernardo 4-1 For Championship

Ramona right hander Cole Sulser notches wins over both Rancho Bernardo and La Costa Canyon to lead the Bulldogs to their first Tournament Championship.

POOL PLAY STANDINGS

1-3-5    BRACKET

Rancho Bernardo           5-0

Torrey Pines                  4-1

Oceanside                      4-1

Vista                              3-2

Carlsbad                        2-3

Mission Hills                  2-3

San Pasqual                    1-4

Escondido                       0-5

Orange Glen                   0-5

2-4-6   BRACKET

Ramona                            4-1 *

La Costa Canyon               4-1

Poway                              4-1

Westview                         4-1

San Dieguito Academy       2-3

Rancho Buena Vista            2-3

Valley Center                     2-3

Fallbrook                           2-3

San Marcos                         1-4

El Camino                            0-5

* Ramona has tie breaker advantage over other 4-1 teams

  The first high school baseball game to be played at San Diego's PETCO Park, between the La Costa Canyon Mavericks and the Rancho Bernardo Broncos, was suspended after eight innings with the score tied at three apiece.  The Mavericks scored single runs in the first, fourth and sixth innings to take a 3-1 lead with 6'7" Garrett Hughes on the mound for the Mavericks.  However the Broncos rallied to tie the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Neither team could score in the 7th or 8th innings with the fading sunlight and the game was suspended after 8 innings to allow for the second game of the evening to start after they turned the lights on.

  On  May 14th at Rancho Bernardo High School the two teams met to complete the suspended game.  La Costa Canyon failed to scored in the top of the 9th and Rancho Bernardo pushed across a single run in the bottom half of the one inning actually played to earn a delayed 4-3 win and a tie for second place in league play. 

By Bill Dickens (Special to the Union-Tribune)

  "Four high school baseball teams paraded into Petco Park yesterday, emotion virtually dripping from the faces of the wide-eyed young ballplayers.  "Just getting a chance to sort of walk in the shoes where the big leaguers play is awesome,"said Granite Hills center fielder Brian Humphries, who helped the Eagles edge Grossmont 4-2. "It's always been a dream of mine to play pro ball."  Humphries is regarded by many as the region's top high school prospect heading into the June draft.  "Obviously, this is the first time I've played on or even stepped onto a pro stadium field like this," Humphries said. "I hope to someday do it every night."

  In the opening game, Palomar League rivals La Costa Canyon and Rancho Bernardo battled to a 3-3 tie in a game suspended after eight innings because of a three-hour time limit.  Pitchers from both teams praised the condition of the mound.  "The shape of it, how hard it is...everything is perfect about it," said La Costa Canyon's Garrett Hughes, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound left hander who worked 5 2/3 innings.  LCC reliever Tyler Korn wasn't afraid to say he was in awe.  "The first couple of pitches I was pretty nervous," Korn said. "Standing out there on top of the mound looking in and seeing how high the stands go up, that was a little intimidating."

  Playing under the lights was no problem for Grossmont and Granite Hills.  Neither had played after dark since each won a San Diego Section Championship last year at Tony Gwynn Stadium.  "It took some adjustment, but you could see the ball fine," Granite Hills right fielder Josh Queriones said. Grossmont center fielder Kyle Secciani went 2for4 and scored a run.  "Definitely not going to hit one out of here," he said. "Just try to shoot the gaps."

  Inviting the high school teams to play at Petco was an idea initiated by the Padres.  Revenue from the games - three more are scheduled today - will help pay costs associated with the section playoffs.  Yesterday's crowd was estimated at just under 2,000.  Most agreed that playing at the home of the Padres was a night they'll never forget "It's an opportunity of a lifetime," Grossmont senior catcher Derek Baum said.

  It was a memorable evening for the coaches, too.  The LCC parents rewarded their coaches with a dinner and a night at a nearby luxury hotel following the game.  "YOU CAN'T BEAT THAT," said Mavericks coach Justin Machado. "

North County Times, By Scott Bair, Staff Writer

  "SAN DIEGO -- The first high school baseball game played at Petco Park was set to be a classic.  La Costa Canyon High and Rancho Bernardo were tied 3-3 in extra innings, leaving dramatics  to decide this well played Palomar League affair.

  A Padres-imposed time limit, however, robbed the game of its rightfull conclusion Friday evening.  The Padres mandated that any of the five prep contests played at Petco Park on Friday and Saturday left undecided after three hours be stopped without a victor and decided at a later date somewhere else.

 "It stinks that we couldn't finish it right here," said RB right fielder David Ring, whose RBI single in the sixth created the deadlock. "It was a great experience playing in this environment, but it would've been even better if we could've seen it through."

  This game will have an ending, but on a much smaller stage.  The teams will conclude the contest at Rancho Bernardo High -- where it was originally scheduled -- on a date to be determined.  Palomar League teams play three times per week, meaning a conclusion may not happen soon, partly because this was the final meeting between the teams.  The stalemate was reached thanks to a late charge by the Broncos.  They struggled early against Mavericks ace Garrett Hughes, but battled back with an rbi single from B.K. Santy in the fifth. Wynton Bernard drove in another run in the sixth, just before Ring's big two-out single.

  La Costa Canyon squeaked an equal number across, with a run in the first, fourth and sixth innings.  Each team had opportunities to up the run total, but left a combined 20 runners on base, creating an awkward end to an otherwise positive experience for the players involved.  "The end is what counts, and it's a bummer we didn't get to see this one out," said Mavericks first baseman Brandyn Delgado, who reached base four times, twice with base hits. "That said, we're all grateful for the chance to play here. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

  Petco Park played to its reputation for the most part.  Outfielders were rewarded for playing shallow, as precisous few metal-bat swinging hitters reached the deepest parts of the field.  RB first baseman James Dykstra was an exception, as he smacked a hard liner that rattled off the left-field wall.  No amount of effor, however, could break the tie -- at least within the allotted time limit.

  "II'S AN HONOR TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TWO HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS TO EVER PLAY ON THIS FIELD,"  Mavericks coach Justin Machado said.  "We played good baseball, but we ended up kissing our sister."

  The old Yogi Berra phrase is especially true in baseball.  La Costa Canyon with the help of home runs from Phillip Evans and Danny Bethea was cruising through the top of the 7th inning at home against Westview, with an 11-5 lead, two outs and two strikes on the batter when the wheels fell off.  Westview scored 9 times with 2 outs to take a 14-11 lead.

  In the bottom of the 7th inning the Mavericks also rallied with two outs as with the bases loaded Danny Bethea singled in one run and Brandon Delgado singled in the game tying and game winning runs to bring the Mavericks all the way back to a 15-14 Palomar League win.

  The two teams finish their three game series on Friday afternoon at 3:15pm at Westview.

                                                                 W   -   L   -   T         W   -   L   -   T

POWAY                                                     5    -   1   -    0         18   -   4   -   0

TORREY PINES                                         4    -   2   -   0         15   -   6   -   0

LA COSTA CANYON                                  3    -   2   -   1         15    -   5   -   1

RANCHO BERNARDO                                 2    -   3    -   1        12    -   8   -   1

WESTVIEW                                               2    -   4    -   0        11     -   9   -   0

MT  CARMEL                                              1   -    5    -   0        10    -   10  -   0

Poway                     11  -  2  -  0;   24  -  5  -  0

Torrey Pines            8  -  5  -  0;   19   -  9  -  0

Rancho Bernardo      6  -  6  -  1;    16  - 11  -  1

La Costa Canyon       5  -  7  -  1;    16  - 10  -  1

Westview                 5  -  8  -  0;   14  - 13  -  0

Mt Carmel                3  - 10  -  0;   12  - 15 -  0

POWAY                          13  -  2  -  0;    26  -  5  -  0

TORREY PINES               8  -  7  -  0;    19  -  11  -  0  *

RANCHO BERNARDO      8  -  7  -  0;     18  -  12  - 0

LA COSTA CANYON        6  -  9  -  0;    18  -  12  -  0 *

WESTVIEW                     6  -  9  -  0;    15  -  14  -  0

MT CARMEL                    4  -  11  -  0;    13  -  16  -  0

* Holds tie breaker advantage , won 2 of 3 games head to head.

  The La Costa Canyon Mavericks will need to be Road Warriors to make any noise in the 2008 CIF Division I Playoffs.

  On Tuesday May 20th the 10th Seeded Mavericks (18-12) , travel to the 7th seeded Bonita Vista (20-9) for a CIF Division I Play In Round Game at 3:30pm at the Bonita Vista High School field located at the intersection of 751 Otay Lakes Road and East "H" Street in Chula Vista, South Bay.

  The winner of the LCC/Bonita Vista game travels on Wed. May 21st to the #2 Seeded Granite Hills (21-8) in El Cajon, East County.

  The Top Four Division I Seeds With Play In Round Byes Include:

# 1   POWAY,  #2  GRANITE HILLS,  #3  VISTA,  AND #4  EASTLAKE

   The remaining eight Division I Seeds are:

#5  Torrey Pines,  #  6  Patrick Henry,  #7  Bonita Vista,  #8  Rancho Bernardo                #  9  Mira Mesa,  #10  La Costa Canyon,  #11  Otay Ranch,  #12  Calexico

TORREY PINES GOT THE WORST DRAW, As the #5 Seeded FALCONS have to travel to the #12 Seeded  CALEXICO (13-9) on Tues. May 20th due to the fact that Calexico was a League Champion and entitled to a first round home CIF Playoff game. The winner travels to #3 Seeded Eastlake (22-6) on Wed. May 21st.

Mira Mesa (18-9) travels to play Rancho Bernardo (18-12) on May 20th and the winner earns a rematch with #1 seeded Poway (26-5) on Tues. May 21st.

#11 Seeded Otay Ranch travels to #6 Seeded Patrick Henry and the winner earns a trip to #3 Seeded Vista on Tues. May 21st.

 The LINKS menu item on the left column contains a Link to the CIF web site.

  VISTA finished second in the Avocado league behind Oceanside with a record of 10-5; 20-10.  MIRA MESA and PATRICK HENRY finished tied for the Eastern League Championship at 9-3.  EASTLAKE 8-2; 22-6; and BONITA VISTA 8-2; 20-9 finished in a tie for the Mesa League Championship.  GRANITE HILLS 10-5; 21-8 finished in third place in the Grossmont South League behind Steele Canyon and Valhalla.

All six Palomar League teams reach the CIF Playoffs as the Fifth place Westview (15-14) hosts a Division II CIF Play In Game against Serra; and the Sixth place Mt Carmel (13-16) travels to play Mission Hills in a Division II CIF Play In game.

 The top four seeds in the Division II CIF Playoff Bracket are:  #1 Grossmont, #2 Oceanside, #3 Ramona and #4 Steele Canyon.

  The top four seeds in the Division III CIF Playoff Bracket are:  #1 El Capitan,  #2 Montgomery, #3 Mission Bay and #4 La Jolla.

  The San Dieguito Academy hosts St Augustine in a Div. III Play In game with the winner traveling to play the #2 seeded Montgomery.

  The Mavericks 7-4 win over Bonita Vista in Chula Vista earns them a First Round match in the double elimination portion of the CIF Playoffs on Wed. May 21st against the No: 2 seed Granite Hills at Granite Hills in El Cajon.  Win or loose the Mavericks will play again on Friday May 23rd against an opponent to be determined.

  Garrett Hughes got the win and Tyler Korn notched the save.  In the top of the 2nd inning the Mavericks strung together seven straight hits to score six runs as Max MacNabb and Mitch Tybroski each had a two rbi double.

  The other Div. I match ups on Wed. are in the upper bracket;  Rancho Bernardo at #1 Poway; and Calexico at #4 Eastlake.  On Friday the 23rd the two winners play at the higher seed and the two losers face off in an elimination game at the higher seed's field.

  In the lower bracket, in additon to La Costa Canyon playing at # 2 Granite Hills; Patrick Henry is at #3 Vista.  Again, on Friday the 23rd the two winners play at the higher seed field and the two losers face off in an elimination game at the higher seed's field.

  The two games on Saturday the 24th will be at 11:00am (Upper Bracket) and 2:00pm (Lower Bracket) at Hilltop High School. 

  The La Costa Canyon Mavericks won their 2nd CIF Playoff Game for their 20th victory of the 2008 season as they up set the #2 ranked Granite Hills by a score of 3-1.  The Mavericks advance in the Winners Bracket to play the #3 seeded Vista on Friday May 23rd at Vista High Shool. Brando Del Gado notched a 2 rbi double in the 5th inning, and Mitch Tybroski added another run batted in as Garrett Smith scored the first run of the game on Mitch's fly ball.  Max MacNabb went 1 for 3 at the plate and scored a run while he pitched the game of his career, throwing 6.33 innings, allowing  1 run on 6 hits, 2 BB and 5 K's.  Tyler Korn came in to get the last two outs for his record setting 6th save of the year.

 Rancho Bernardo turned the tables on Poway to take a 5-4 win and advance to play at Eastlake in the other winners bracket game.  Calexico will travel to play Poway in one elimination game. Granite Hills will play host to Patrick Henry in the other elimination game.

San Diego Union Tribune Newspaper

By Bill Dickens

  " EL CAJON - Max MacNabb's impact on the La Costa Canyon High baseball team figured to be a year away.  Up until a week ago, the sophomore left-hander had pitched only 10 innings.  Most of that came during early-season tournaments.

  "Max pitched in our last series against Mt. Carmel, and we just saw something that we liked," Mavericks coach Justin Machado said.

  MacNabb got the starting nod in yesterday's first round of the section Division I playoffs at Granite Hills.  He showed the second-seeded Eagles plenty they diddn't like as La Costa Canyon pulled out a 3-1 victory.  "Max had a lot of confidence in his off-speed pitches," Machado said.

  MacNabb showcased his fasball and frustrated the Eagles(21-0) withc curves and sliders.  "They're a fastball-hitting team, so my game plan was to go with my curveball more," said MacNabb (3-3). "And they couldn't hit it." 

  MacNabb permitted just six hits - five them singles - during his 6.33 innings.  He struck out five and walked two.  "About 75 percent of my pitches were breaking balls," MacNabb said. "My curveball is a 12 to 6, more loopy.  My slider has more of a tight break, and I'll throw it backdoor to a righty, try to catch the outside edge."

  That combination has baffled the Eagles, who have lost four of their last five.  "We've just stopped hitting," Granite Hills coach James Davis said.  "We had our chances in this game but seemed to come up a hit short from breaking things open."

  Part of that was due to La Costa Canyon's sterling defense.  Not only were the Mavericks error-free, they robbed the Eagles of hits and as many as two runs.  Argueably the fielding gem of the day belonged to LCC's Garrett Smith.  The senior second basemen made a sprawling stop to rob Jared Hunt of a base hit and Granite Hills of a run in the fourth inning.  "Since (Hunt) is righty, I knew the ball was going to spin back toward me," Smith said. "the main thing is I didn't want it to go under my glove.  Once I got it, I went up on my back knee and kind of side-armed the ball to first base."

  That emotional lift carred over to the top of the fifth when the Mavericks (20-12) did all of their scoring.  Smith provided the spark with a lead single and a steal of second base.  He scored on Mitch Tybroski's fly ball.  Brandyn Delgado capped the inning with a two run double.

  Granite Hills scored its run on a Brian Humphries single in the bottom of the fifth."

End of newspaper article

 The Second Round of the CIF Playoff Games were postponed from Friday to Saturday at 11:00 am due to Rain.  La Costa Canyon travels to Vista.

 The Loser Bracket games scheduled for Saturday have been bumped to Tuesday at 3:30pm at the site of the higher seeded team. Admission will be charged at the Tuesday games and the subsequent games.

The fourth round games scheduled for Tuesday have been moved to Wednesday.  The remaining games in the double elimination tournament will be played on Thursday at the higher seed with the finals still set for Saturday at 7:00pm at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

  Danny Bethea's Three Run Blast in the top of the 5th inning combined with his defense behind the plate led the Mavericks to another CIF Playoff win and a spot in the Wednesday semi-finals to await the winner of the Tuesday match up between Vista and  Granite Hills.

  Cody Peterson ( 1&2/3rds ), Jake Raffaele( 1& 1/3rd ), Parker Johnson ( 3 innings ) and Tyler Korn( 1.0 ) combined to hold Vista to only three runs on six hits. Grant Jochem had two runs batted in and scored a run ahead of Danny Bethea.  Garrett Smith singled and scored a run in the third inning. Phillip Evans singled to start the two out rally in the 5th and then scored on Grant Jochem's single. The Evans to Smith to Delgado combination turned another 6-4-3 double play and Garrett Smith had two other nice put outs at second. With no outs and two runners on in the bottom of the 7th inning Danny Bethea threw down to second behind the runner and Garrett Smith applied the tag to pick off the Vista runner for the first out of the 7th inning. With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the 7th inning, Tyler Korn reached back to strike out the final two Vista batters to end the game.

 The Mavericks at 21-12 now have two chances to reach the Championship Game Saturday night at Tony Gwynn Stadium as the survivor of the Tuesday elimination game will have to beat the Mavericks both Wednesday and Thursday to reach the Championship Game.

  Eastlake beats Rancho Bernardo 4-2 to advance to the Wednesday Game in the Upper Bracket.  Rancho Bernardo will play Poway on Tuesday in the Loser's Bracket Elimination Game, as Poway eliminated Calexico 8-0.

  Granite Hills beat Patrick Henry 3-1 to earn a spot at home against Vista in the other Tuesday Loser's Bracket Game.  The winner of the Tues. game as the higher seed will host the Wednesday game against La Costa Canyon.

  Vista scores 5 in the top of the first inning and one in the top of the 9th inning to beat Granite Hills in the Loser's Bracket Elimination Game on Tuesday at Granite Hills.  Bobby Orosco pitched all 9 innings for Vista.  As the higher seed, Vista gets to host the semifinal game against La Costa Canyon on Wednesday at 3:30pm.

  Poway eliminates Rancho Bernardo 4-3, and as the higher seed Poway will host Eastlake in the other semifinal game.

  The La Costa Canyon road warriors win their fourth straight CIF road game in ten innings with a 9-8 win over the #3 ranked Vista Titans to be the first team to reach the Saturday Division I Championship Game at San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.

  In the other semifinal game Poway beat Eastlake 5-2 to force a Thursday afternoon rematch at Poway High School to determine which team will advance to play the Mavericks in the CIF Division I Championship Game.

  LCC's Garrett Hughes started the game and went 5 innings, yielding 7 runs on 8 hits, 2 walks and 5 strike outs.  Tyler Korn picked up the win (5 - 3 - 7) in pitching 4 and 1/3rd innings, while allowing no runs on 3 hits, 1 walk and 2 strike outs.  Brandon Delgado went 2 for 5, 1 R, 2 RBI's and 1 Home Run.  Will Swanner went 3 for 4, with 3 RBI's and 1 2b, and it was his line drive single to right field in the top of the 10th inning that scored Zach Gage with the go ahead run.  Once again Tyler allowed two singles in the bottom of the last inning, but one Vista runner was thrown out trying to steal second, and then Tyler got a strike out and the final out on a pop up to the infield.

  The Mavericks (22-12) advance to the CIF Championship game for the first time since they won back to back CIF Titles in 2003-2004. 

  The Poway machine used one big inning to leverage an 8-3 win over the young La Costa Canyon Mavericks to win the 2008 CIF Divison I Championship.

  Sophomore Max MacNabb got the start and showed his potential as he was nibbling on the black and struck out two Titans in both the first and second innings.

 The Mavericks threatened in the top of the first inning as Freshmen Phillip Evans singled to left and with two out Junior Grant Jochem singled up the middle. Danny Bethea followed with a sharply hit ball up the middle that the Poway 2nd basemen ranged behind the bag to snag and throw to first for the third out. In the bottom of the first with the bases loaded, Junior Center fielder Mitch Tybroski made a great running catch for the third out.

 In the top of the second inning Garret Smith walked but Sophomore Will Swanner hit into a 4-6 fielders choice.  In the bottom of the second two walks and a throwing error put two runners on with one out, but Max MacNabb struck out the next two Titans to get out of the inning.

In the top of the third the Mavericks scored first as Mitch Tybroski singled, stole second, advanced to third on a ground ball out and scored on a wild pitch on a close play at home.  Phillip Evans hit a 400 ft out that the Poway centerfielder made a nice catch of at the left center field fence.

  In the bottom of the third inning MacNabb induced a ground ball out, Smith to Delgado, yielded a single up the middle, and then got a line drive out to Mitch Tybroski in center field for the second out before two successive walks loaded the bases.  With an 0-2 count on the batter MacNabb let one get away to the back stop to let one run score, and then two successive full count walks allowed another run to score.  The third out came on a soft flair to third basemen Zach Gage.

 In the top of the 4th the Mavericks went down in order on a ground out, an infield pop up and a strike out.  In the bottom of the 4th an infield throwing error, a single to right and another full count walk loaded the bases with no outs. Junior pitcher Parker Johnson entered the game and yielded a ground ball single through the hole on the left side and a sinking flair to left field that Grant Jochem just missed making a great diving catch. Jochem had to leave with a shoulder injury and he was replaced by Junior Ryan Fessel.  Junior Jake Raffaele replaced Johnson and got the first out on a line drive to Fessel, before an error allowed the 4th run of the inning to score.  With the infield drawn in Raffaele got the second out on a ground ball to second where Garrett Smith made a diving stop to knock the ball down and still recovered in time to throw out the runner at first, and then got the final out on a tapper back to the mound. 

 In the top of the 5th Max MacNabb singled to right with one out and Mitch Tybroski walked.  Phillip Evans followed with a booming 2 rbi double to right center but he was thrown out at third on a nice relay by Poway. Senior firstbasemen Brandyn Delgado then grounded out to end the 5th.  In the bottom of the fifth inning Junior Left Hander Garrett Hughes entered the game in relief.  Hughes was the starter in the Wed. semi final game and got the first out on a ground ball to short, walked a batter, and got the second out on a fly ball to MacNabb in right field, before a catcher's interferenc call wiped out the third out, leading to a soft blooper over the second basemen's head that scored two runs. Hughes got the third out on high fly ball to Tybroski in Centerfield.

 In the top of the 6th Danny Bethea singled up the middle with one out, but Zach Gage lined out to right field and Will Swanner lined out to left field.  In the bottom of the 6th Tyler Korn, the senior closer, entered the game in relief for the Mavericks and walked the first batter before getting a ground ball out to Smith at second, a ground ball out to Evans at short and a pop up to Smith at second.

 In the top of the 7th the Mavericks' Matt Lindberg and Matt Grimshaw both grounded out to short and Mitch Tybroski flyed out to left field for the 3rd out.

 The number one ranked Poway Titans finished the season at 31-6, while the Mavericks finished at 22-13, including four losses to Poway.

  The 2008 Maverick Pitching Staff had eight different pitchers notch wins, and set a School Record for the most number of strike outs in one season at 258, but the 2008 Mavericks also set a School Record for the most number of walks in one season at 158.

 La Costa Canyon first year assistant coach Jason Hill returned to the CIF Division I Championship game for the first time since he was the starting short stop for the 1997 Mavericks.  The Mavericks have now reached the CIF Division I Championship Game for the fourth time in their twelve years.

 In 2009 Poway will once again be one of the favorites to win the Palomar League while with the new league alignment, the Mavericks will be one of the preseason picks to win the Avocado league, and both may face a rematch in the CIF Playoffs.