It has been 24 years since a Hart baseball team has missed out on a CIF-Southern Section playoff.

And they won't miss out on one this year.

The Indians, led by a surprising three home runs and Alex Tenorio's best effort on the mound this year, defeated the Grizzlies 12-1 at Golden Valley High.

With the win and Saugus' loss to West Ranch on Friday, the Indians finished in third place in the Foothill League with the tiebreaker over the Centurions and earned an automatic berth to the CIF-SS Division I playoffs.

"A lot of history was riding on our back," said Hart senior shortstop Pat Valaika, whose brothers Chris and Matt are part of that playoff history.

The Indians (13-13, 7-8) started things early with a four-run first inning. The big bang came off the bat of Valaika, who tripled off the left-center field fence to plate a run.

Golden Valley (11-14, 6-9) got one run back in the third inning when senior Kamran Young singled to right field. A run scored when the ball was misplayed.

"He should have got a shutout," said Hart sophomore Dallas Bacon, whose fifth-inning home run gave the Indians a 6-1 lead. "(His performance) was really big. I think it gives us a big boost going into the playoffs."

That was it off Tenorio, who was better as the game went on.

The junior pitcher, who entered the game with a 4.04 ERA, retired 11 batters in a row from the fourth to the seventh inning, including four strikeouts in a row in the sixth and seventh innings. He went the distance, surrendering only three hits, walking two and striking out seven.

He said he felt stronger as the game went on.

"I kept telling myself inning by inning, take it easy," Tenorio said. "I felt a lot more confident, more eager to win the game (as it went on)."

Tenorio was comforted by an uncommon Indians offense.

Coming into the game, Hart had one home run in 25 games.

Bacon made it two in the four-run fifth inning. Runs also scored in that inning on a James Scott double and a Luke Persico single.

Valaika made it three homers with his first of the year, a sixth-inning blast that gave the Indians a 9-1 lead. Pinch hitter Josh Brown made it four with a two-run homer in the seventh. The final Indian run came on a seventh-inning Golden Valley error.

The mistakes were uncommon of late for Golden Valley - a team which at one point went from the worst team in the Foothill League to the hottest. The Grizzlies were in the playoff hunt this week, but lost twice to Hart. Had they beat Hart twice, the Grizzlies would have made their first-ever baseball postseason.

"The last couple of games we got overanxious," said Golden Valley senior Brandon Smith, who had one of the Grizzlies' three hits on the day. "But we can keep our heads up. We ended with a good season."

As for Hart, the Indians will get a road game in the first round of the postseason.

But it's already felt like the playoffs this week.

Emphasizing that pride, head coach Jim Ozella posted notes at Hart's Bud Murray Field this week.

One read: "Do you want to end the streak?"

Hart answered that question on Friday - with emphasis.