Last week Simi Valley High baseball player Eric Bernstein sat in front of his television and watched the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the St. Louis Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.

Tonight, he'll get a much better view of the field.

By defeating Mater Dei 6-5 in 11 innings at UC Riverside Tuesday night, Bernstein and his Pioneer teammates have earned the right to take the field tonight against Long Beach Wilson in the CIFSouthern Section Division I championship game.

It will be Simi's first appearance in a title game since they won the CIF-SS Division II championship in 2004.

"I haven't been to a Dodger game since last season, but I was watching on TV last weekend and I thought to myself, 'Wow, I could be playing there real soon,'" Bernstein said.

Simi's journey throughout the playoffs has been a wild ride.

The Pioneers beat Vista del Lago High at home in the first round rather easily, 12-2, then held off King High of Riverside 4-1 in Round 2.

In the quarterfinals, SVHS crushed Valencia High 13-2 at home but not before a near brawl between the teams' coaches ensued. Tensions got high after Valencia left-hander Dustin Lucas threw behind Pioneer Nick Russo following a bunt single by Kyle Raskin with SVHS up 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

In the semifinals, Simi won an epic battle against Mater Dei when Bernstein hit a sacrifice fly to deep right-center field in the top of the 11th that scored second baseman Matt Orloff with the game-winning run.

"I was on first base when (Bernstein) hit the ball to right field," junior Brent Keys said. "I had to go halfway to second because the ball was hit in the gap, but when I saw the right fielder backing up, I knew the ball was hit deep enough to score a run. I was so happy because that game was insane."

Simi head coach Matt La Belle said he's been very pleased with the way his squad has handled itself in the postseason.

"It's real easy to get up for a playoff game, but sometimes it's tough to stay focused throughout all the games," La Belle said. "We've been up and down in games, and the team has remained focused throughout it all."

When the Pioneers get to Chavez Ravine, they'll be matched up against a familiar foe.

Long Beach Wilson, who finished last season and began this year as Baseball America's No. 1 team in the nation (they're currently No. 6), ended Simi's season last year by defeating the Pioneers 9-5 in the second round.

Long Beach Wilson (28-5-1) is led by seniors Aaron Hicks and Zach Wilson. Baseball America has Hicks, a pitcher and outfielder, ranked No. 3 in its top 200 high school prospects list, while third baseman Wilson is ranked 140th on the same list.

The game could be billed as a David vs. Goliath clash, but don't tell that to the Pioneers.

"We're not viewing ourselves as underdogs," La Belle said. "Any team that gets to where we're playing at is a solid team. We just feel that we are one of two teams left playing in the toughest division in the county."

Bernstein said Simi respects Long Beach Wilson, but he's confident his squad can pull out a win.

"I don't think we're underdogs," Bernstein said. "Whoever has the best game is going to win.

"As far as facing Hicks on the mound, I've faced him before, and that should help. His ball is fast, but it doesn't move a lot. Hicks comes straight over the top."

After just recently completing an 11-inning game, La Belle said he's still not sure who he'll send to the mound to start the title game. He did say he expected everyone on the staff to be ready and available for work.

Whoever gets the nod on the bump will have to keep a Long Beach Wilson team that hit .360 this year at bay.

Wilson has won 10 straight, averaging 9.9 runs per game, although the average is skewed a bit by a 34-run outburst against Compton in early May.

While the matchup is tough, there's little doubt that it's been a great time to be an athlete at SVHS. Not only has Simi won six in a row and eight of its last nine, but the softball team is 30-0 and will also play for a Division I championship.

"It's been awesome here at Simi Valley lately," said La Belle, who also serves as the school's athletic director. "I just wish our season didn't come at the end of the school year so we could brag about it all year long.

"The softball team is going to be at our game in big numbers tonight, and our team will be in Irvine supporting them on Saturday."

La Belle is hoping to rekindle a little bit of magic at Dodger Stadium.

"You know, I was telling my assistant coaches the other day, this has been real similar to the way our 2004 season was," La Belle said. "I'm just hoping the championship game ends the same way."