Yucaipa baseball reaches CIF quarterfinals; Cajon, Citrus Valley fall in second round

Yucaipa High School’s baseball team is rolling again.

Continuing a tradition of success established by former coach Jeff Stout and carried on through Ralph Grajeda and current coach P.J. Jimenez, the 2026 Thunderbirds are chasing another CIF Southern Section championship.

Yucaipa will host Foothill High School at 3:15 p.m. Friday, May 22, in the Division 2 quarterfinals after defeating Paraclete 4-2 on May 14 and routing Royal High of Simi Valley 17-2 on Tuesday in the second round.

Excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, the Thunderbirds have reached the playoffs in each of the last 21 seasons for which statistics are available.

Before retiring in 2016, Stout became a coaching legend with 809 victories in 41 seasons, winning 19 league titles, three CIF Southern Section championships and making 37 playoff appearances.

Yucaipa also reached CIF Southern Section championship games in 2005, 2010 and 2018 but lost all three title contests.

Tuesday’s victory improved the Thunderbirds to 20-10 overall. Yucaipa finished second in the Citrus Belt League at 11-4 behind champion Cajon High.

The Cowboys were eliminated from the Division 3 playoffs with a 5-2 loss to St. Francis High after opening the postseason with a 4-0 shutout of San Dimas on May 14.

Citrus Valley, which placed third in the Citrus Belt League, lost 3-2 to Irvine High in the second round of Division 5 play after defeating Paloma Valley 2-1 in its opener.

Yucaipa enters Friday’s quarterfinal matchup riding a 12-game winning streak.

The Thunderbirds pounded out 16 hits in the victory over Royal, which entered the game 24-3-1 and as champions of the Coastal Canyon League.

Zach Scribner went 3-for-5 with a double, home run and seven RBIs while batting in the No. 10 spot in the lineup. Damian Cordero finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs. Xavier Romero went 3-for-4 and scored four runs.

Andrew Zarate added two hits, including a double and RBI, while Landon Von Kaenel doubled and drove in two runs.

Romero pitched five innings, allowing four hits while striking out five. Relievers Logan Altenhof and Scribner closed out the final two innings.

In the playoff opener against Paraclete, Cordero and Scribner each drove in two runs.

Logan Pashman pitched 6.2 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs with four strikeouts. Altenhof recorded the final out for the save.

Citrus Valley’s season ended with the loss to Irvine. The game was tied 2-2 after four innings before Irvine pushed across the winning run in the fifth.

Jacob Caldera went 2-for-3 for the Blackhawks. Tristan Garcia-Rojas added a hit and RBI. Julian Cesena and Aidan Saldano both scored runs.

Adam Hines allowed six hits and three runs — only one earned — over 4.1 innings. Jake Clark pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Elsewhere in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, Arrowhead Christian Academy — a quarterfinalist in 2025 — lost to Temescal Canyon 8-5 in the first round of Division 5 play.

All three local entrants in the Division 8 playoffs were eliminated in the opening round. Tri-County Premier League champion Loma Linda Academy lost 10-5 to The Webb School of Claremont. Redlands Adventist Academy fell to Dunn Academy 16-4, and Mesa Grande Academy of Calimesa lost to San Bernardino High School 17-5.