CIF Championships: Borrego Springs… to the second power

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL
2026 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
CIF-San Diego Section Championships

 

East County Sports.com

EL CAJON — In a span of less than an hour, the school with the shortest nickname in San Diego County captured — not one — two CIF championships.

The Rams of Borrego Springs High took home championships in Division 5-AA softball and baseball, capping the finest year for sports in school history.

In softball, the second-seeded Rams waltzed to an easy title, throttling Manzanita League rival Warner of Warner Springs, 9-1. The Wildcats were the top seeds.

Meanwhile, in baseball, the final game for Rams head coach Andrew Macuga turned into the school’s first-ever crown in the sport by thumping Cavin Christian of Escondido, 7-1.

Softball: Borrego Springs 9, Warner 1

MONTEXUMA MESA – Borrego Springs pitcher Mia Avila-Siqueiros transformed from simply being a freshman to start the school year into a CIF-San Diego Section champion.

On Thursday (May 28), Ayila-Sigueiros fired a complete-game one-hitter, leading the Rams past league rival Waner, 9-1, in the title game held at San Diego’s Aztec Softball Field (located just west of Tony Gwynn Stadium).

According to press reports, the frosh wasn’t even going to attend high school, instead being homeschooled. Instead, she struck out seven Wildcats batters to coast to the trophy in the gate-to-wire triumph.

Before Ayila-Sigueiros entered the pitching circle, she was already staked to a 2-0 lead.

The Rams (16-9 overall) received opened walks to Kayla Rodriguez and Ayila-Sigueiros, both stealing bases to quickly move into scoring position, then crossed the plate on an error and a series of wild pitches.

In the fourth, another walk set up Alexandra Torres to score on an RBI double to left field from Nallybe Hernandez to left.

Then in the fifth, en in the fifth, Borrego Springs parlayed five hits into five runs, buoyed by run-scoring base hits by Michelle Llamas, Torres, Alexandra, and Camila Hernandez.

The Wildcats finished the season at 1108, with three of the losses coming against the Rans. The ballclubs split both a pair of non-league and league games to share the Manzanita title, with the CIF finale giving the Rams a 3-2 advantage.

 

Baseball: Borrego Springs 7, Calvin Christian 1

MONTEZUMA MESA — Five times a bridesmaid, but never a champion — including last season’s heartbreaking loss — the Borrego Springs Rams can now declare themselves king of the CIF-San Diego Section after downing Calvin Christian, 7-1, to take the Division 5-AA crown at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The victory was also the final ballgame for Rams head coach Andrew Macuga, who took over after the school’s two-year break from the pandemic, then transformed a winless 2022 squad into CIF titlists just four years later.

Leading the Rams on the field was four-year letterman Chris Alcaraz, who slugged a pair of triples for two RBI, then pitched a four-hitter by striking out 11 Calvin Christian batters.

Alcaraz was the Manzanita League’s player of the year for an amazing fourth straight season, plus was twice the pitcher of the year.

Andres Macuga, the coach’s son, later lined a two-run single when the Rams blew the contest open during a five-run fifth-inning rally.

The Crusaders finish with a 17-8 mark.

SDUT.com reports that Borrego Springs’ 18 wins on the season are a school record. According to MaxPreps (2005 to present), the Rans won 17 games on three occasions (2013-14, 2017).

DID YOU KNOW: Borrego Springs junior Chris Alcarez was named to the 2025 all-California state team by CalHiSports. Alcarez was placed on the Small Schools Second Team among multipurpose players (hitting and pitching combined).

— Nick Pellegrino

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