LIVERMORE — The effort was evident on the faces of James Logan’s players.
The Colts prepared as much as they could the past two days, watching film and going hard at practice. With every swing, pitch and catch during Friday’s game, the scrappy Union City school gave all it could.
But maximum effort wasn’t enough because the team on the other side of the field was a baseball juggernaut.
Top-seeded Granada made quick work of No. 9 Logan, beating the Colts 11-1 in five innings to advance to the North Coast Section Division I semifinals where it will play Acalanes.
Senior Quinn Boyd had a two-run home run for Granada and Parker Warner had an RBI double.
Pitcher Jake Sekany allowed a run and three hits while striking out four on 64 pitches.
“Granada is a great team and I’m 100% sure they are going to win NCS this year,” said Logan coach Luis Soto.
The two teams played each other three months ago in their season opener in a game in which Granada beat Logan in similar fashion.
Logan got off to a good start on defense as junior pitcher Benjamin Tower retired four of the first five batters he faced.
But the Livermore school found its momentum in the second inning.
Boyd put the Matadors on the board first, hitting his two-run homer that scored right fielder Peyton Richards.
“The whole approach this week was trying to keep the ball straight up the middle,” Boyd said. “The pitcher just hung a curveball and I hit it well.”
Granada broke the game open in the fourth when it scored six runs.
Center fielder Tyler Kardy started the Matadors’ fourth inning run by scoring senior A.J. Martinez to put Granada up by three. Later in the inning, junior Mikey Boyd doubled to the gap in right field and brought home Kardy and Warner, giving the Matadors a seven-run cushion.
By the end of the fourth, Granada led 8-0.
“These guys knew what they were doing,” said Granada coach Corrigan Willis. “I didn’t have to say anything to them. It’s just kind of their identity. It’s tough to face a lineup like that.”
While the Matadors were scoring runs, Sekany was dominant on the mound.
The junior is known for striking out batters with ease, but Sekany had a different approach in Friday’s game. He pitched into contact for most of the day, recording his third-lowest amount of strikeouts this season, but allowing just three hits across five innings.
“We’ve been playing great defense all year, borderline immaculate I would say,” Sekany said. “It’s given me the confidence to put the ball in play. I just go up and attack hitters, try to get ahead in the count and let the defense do the work.”
Logan’s lone run came in the top of the fifth inning when senior Joshua Parras scored from third on a wild pitch.
Granada closed the door on Logan after Warner doubled to score Kardy and catcher Tommy Brown to give the Matadors an 11-1 lead, triggering the 10-run mercy rule and ending the game in the fifth.
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With a perfect 18-0 record at home, Granada has been unstoppable on their field. Willis said the familiarity of playing on their turf combined with the support from the Granada community will only help the Matadors as they will attempt to win their first section championship in school history.
“It’s been good, especially with the home crowd,” Willis said. “There’s kids asking for autographs after the game. That’s awesome. It’s a cool thing for these guys, and the community’s starting to back us because they see we have something special.”
Logan will have a different set of core players next year as many of its top contributors such as Jesus Vasquez, Yash Gupta and Joshua Parras will be lost to graduation.
“From day one we talked about leaving a legacy,” Soto said. “These boys definitely did that. This is probably the best season that we’ve had in Logan history, and to have them be a part of that, is huge.”
