San Diego Section Baseball Playoff Preview : Sweetwater Takes on No. 1 Santana : Coach and Players Would Like to Silence All Critics Today

The players on Sweetwater High School’s baseball team read the newspapers. And, frankly, they’re not exactly happy with they are reading.

“We keep hearing that we’re lucky and we don’t deserve to be in the playoffs,” Sweetwater Coach Jim Mann said. “The kids read that stuff and it bothers them.”

Sweetwater would like to prove its critics wrong.

In the first round of the San Diego Section 3-A playoffs today, the Red Devils will get a chance to put an end to all of the talk. Sweetwater will play No. 1-ranked Santana (23-2) at 3 p.m. at Santana High.

“Obviously, it would be nice to win,” Mann said. “But it would be nicer to prove some of our critics wrong.”

The critics point out that Sweetwater finished the regular season with a 12-12 record. But Mann points out that the Red Devils were 9-4 in the tough Metro-Mesa League, good enough for a second-place finish behind Bonita Vista.

The Red Devils were certainly at their best during league play. Sweetwater beat highly touted Montgomery twice and beat Bonita Vista once. Sweetwater also played Santana earlier this season, losing 4-2 because of four unearned runs.

“We were making a lot of errors at the beginning of the season,” Mann said. “But, now the kids are playing the way I though they’d play.”

Sweetwater has received a big boost from right-hander Victor Ramirez, who will pitch today. Ramirez beat Montgomery twice, allowing only one run, and went 1-1 against Bonita Vista. In the game he lost (2-1), he allowed only two hits.

Elsewhere in the 3-A playoffs today (with all games at 3 p.m.):

Point Loma (18-6) at Mount Carmel (23-4)--Mount Carmel, ranked No. 2 in the county, swept through the Palomar League with a 12-0 record. Led by catcher Miah Bradbury, the Sundevils are hoping to return to the 3-A finals. Mount Carmel reached the finals two years ago and lost to Santana. Point Loma, ranked seventh in the county, lost its final regular season game to Mira Mesa and finished second in the City Eastern League.

Valhalla (19-6-1) at Bonita Vista (18-7)--This game matches a pair of comeback teams. Valhalla has made a habit of coming from behind to win this season. The Norsemen rallied to win seven times in the Grossmont League this year. Bonita Vista came back after a slow start to win its final seven games and win the Metro-Mesa League.

Fallbrook (20-5) at Mira Mesa (15-13)--Mira Mesa, the defending 3-A champion, has been hot lately. The Marauders won five straight, including a 5-4 victory over Point Loma Wednesday, to win the City Eastern League. Mira Mesa, seeded fourth, was seeded sixth last year before going on to the 3-A title. Fallbrook beat everyone except Mount Carmel in the Palomar League and wound up four games back in second place.

In the 2-A playoffs today (with all games at 3 p.m.):

Hoover (13-10) at Mission Bay (19-6)--Mission Bay has been the top-ranked 2-A team all season and enters the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The Buccaneers ran away with the City Western League title thanks to a strong pitching staff that in one stretch provided three consecutive shutouts. Hoover finished a half-game behind San Diego in the City Central League.

Castle Park (12-11) at San Marcos (14-9)--San Marcos surprised Mission Bay in the first round last season before being eliminated by Hilltop in the 2-A semifinals. This year, the Knights won the Palomar League by one game over Escondido. Castle Park finished 6-7 in the Metro-South Bay League but that was good enough for second place, one game ahead of Coronado and Marian.

Escondido (15-11) at Southwest (12-9)--Southwest, winners of the Metro-South Bay League with an 8-5 record, won on speed and timely hitting. The Raiders don’t have much power but they create havoc on the bases. In a 9-5 victory over Coronado, Southwest had 15 hits--all singles--and nine stolen bases. Escondido, the early-season favorite in the Avocado League, struggled early but finished second one game ahead of Ramona.

University (14-10) at San Diego (14-11-1)--The Cavers did not win a game in the City Central League last year. But, under first-year Coach Tom Lopez, San Diego turned things around this year to win the league championship. University chased Mission Bay in the City Western League, finishing two games out of first. The Dons ended the regular season strong, however, beating Mission Bay, 1-0, in the final game of the regular season.