Prep roundup: Granada’s Joshua Morano strikes out 18 to beat Dublin
Baseball
No. 4 Granada 3, No. 7 Dublin 0
Granada ace Joshua Morano raised his powerful left arm to a new level Tuesday, a seemingly impossible task given how dominant he has been all season.
But that is what happened in an East Bay Athletic League showdown against visiting Dublin.
The 6-foot-4 Arizona-bound star struck out the final nine batters to finish with a career-high 18 as Granada won for the seventh time in eight league games to remain atop the standings.
The shutout was Morano’s third in a row, following complete-game gems against Dublin on March 31 and Foothill last week. He actually went eight innings against Foothill before Granada scored to win in walk-off fashion.
There was no need for extras Tuesday.
Parker Warner provided all the runs Granada needed when he slugged a three-run home run in the fifth.
Morano allowed three hits, all singles, and walked one. He threw 106 pitches, 75 for strikes.
In 41 innings this season, Morano has given up two earned runs, He had 59 strikeouts and just 10 walks.
Granada – ranked fourth by the Bay Area News Group – improved to 14-3 heading into another huge league game, Wednesday at De La Salle.
Seventh-ranked Dublin fell to 13-4, 5-3.
No. 5 De La Salle 14, No. 4 Amador Valley 2
De La Salle is heating up at the right time, just as it always does.
The reigning Northern California Division I champions extended their winning streak to four with one of their most dominant victories of the season, flattening Amador Valley behind three hits and three RBIs from Alec Blair and two hits and three RBIs from Connor “Bear” Harrison.
Blair had a double and triple among his hits.
The Spartans scored two in the second and three in the third. After Amador Valley answered with two in the top of the fourth, De La Salle put the score out of reach with four in the home half of the inning and five in the fifth as it improved to 14-4, 7-1.
Oliver de la Torre hit a home run for Amador Valley (13-3, 4-3).
No. 1 Valley Christian 12, Sacred Heart Cathedral 9
Six outs from a stunning defeat, Valley Christian found a way to erase a three-run deficit.
The visitors from San Jose scored 10 runs in the sixth inning to remain undefeated in West Catholic Athletic League play.
Jacob Hudson knocked in three runs and PJ Moutzouridis, Brock Ketelsen and Hunter Fujimoto each drove in two as Valley Christian upped its record to 17-3, 8-0.
Jack Ruegg went 4 for 4 with three RBIs for SHC (9-11, 2-6).
No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 7, Archbishop Riordan 0
Five pitchers – Nico Rodriguez, Ronan Gilmore, Connor Elliott, Kyle Scritzky and Wills Tower – combined on a four-hitter and David Estrada went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs as Mitty cruised on the road over Riordan in WCAL play.
Mitty led 1-0 after four innings, then broke open the game with three in the fifth and three in the sixth as the Monarchs improved to 16-4, 7-1.
Riordan is 11-9, 0-8.
St. Ignatius 8, No. 16 St. Francis 2
St. Francis lost for the fourth time in five games as St. Ignatius scored four in the second and added four more in the late innings to win at home in a WCAL game.
Leonard Beatie went 3 for 4 with two doubles and four RBIs, Archer Horn pitched 4 ⅔ innings and Jackson Short worked the final 2 ⅓ to lead St. Ignatius (12-7, 4-4).
Brent Valentine and Jedd Chang each had a hit and an RBI for St. Francis (11-9, 3-5), which visits Valley Christian on Friday.
No. 8 Serra 4, No. 6 Bellarmine 3
Pinch-hitting junior Michael Perazzo, facing a 2-1 count with Serra runners on second and third, put the ball in play on the right side of the field.
An error by a Bellarmine defender allowed Josiah Rodriguez to score as the Padres walked off the Bells in the bottom of the eighth.
Although he was saddled with the loss, Bellarmine’s Paul Wheeler pitched well in relief, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing one hit and one unearned run.
Ian Josephson went 1 for 3 with an RBI, and Davis Minton drove in a Serra run during the second inning. Bellarmine got RBIs from Thomas Trombatore, Trent Malik and Chase Knight.
The victory improves Serra to 12-5 and drops Bellarmine to 12-6-1. Both schools are now 4-4 in WCAL play.
Leigh 9, Sobrato 1
Brandon Kim had three hits and three stolen bases, Nate Miller had a triple and three RBIs, and Dom Panella pitched five solid innings to push Leigh to its sixth consecutive victory.
The Longhorns improved to 11-7 and remained atop the BVAL-Mt. Hamilton Division standings with an 8-3 league record after they defeated Sobrato (3-10-1, 0-9).
Skyline 14, Ygnacio Valley 0
Skyline, the best team in the Oakland Athletic League, routed Ygnacio Valley (6-5) to improve its record to 8-4. The Titans had 19 hits, with Joseph Salazar leading the way with three hits and a home run. James Beere, Liam Johnson, Michael ODonal and three others collected two hits.
Skyline scored six runs in the second inning and four runs in the fifth on its way to a five-inning victory.
Menlo School 5, Hillsdale 4
It took eight innings, but Menlo School emerged from Hillsdale with the victory. Senior Jake Bianchi singled in the tying run during the top of the sixth to make it a 4-4 game. Trey McNair scored the winning run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice.
Colin Dhaliwal went 3 for 4 with an RBI, and Jake Sonsini and Bianchi each had two hits. Menlo School improved to 11-6 overall and 3-4 in PAL-Ocean play. Meanwhile, Hillsdale dropped to 10-6 overall and 5-1 in league play.
Softball
California 5, No. 7 Livermore 4
With a runner on second base, California needed one more hit to end the game in the bottom of the seventh. A few batters before, Noelani Ching had singled in one run to tie the game at four.
Sophomore Reese Stiner was up to the task, poking a ground ball through a gap up the middle to put the ball in play.
An error by a Livermore outfielder allowed Jae Cosgriff to cross home plate, dooming the Cowboys to their fourth loss in EBAL play and an 11-7, 4-4 record.
California improved to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the league with its third consecutive victory. California had 15 hits and rattled off four straight singles to win the game.
Centerfielder Jayda Crosby was 4 for 4, Stiner had three hits and Alyssa Villarde went 2 for 3. Kaitlyn Le pitched a complete game, struck out four, and did not allow an earned run.
No. 10 Granada, Carondelet 0
A few days after hitting five home runs in a 9-2 victory over rivals Livermore, Granada (13-3, 6-1) extended its winning streak to five games by crushing three homers against EBAL opponent Carondelet (5-10-1, 1-5).
Leanna May, Delaney Aumua and senior Kathryn Piscotty hit one home run and drove in two runs each. Ella VonBergen and Delilah Vanderbeek combined to strike out 10 while allowing just two hits.
No. 16 Sequoia 13, Woodside 0
The Ravens (11-2, 4-1) went on the road and snapped its two-game losing skid in a comfortable victory over PAL-Bay Division opponent Woodside (4-10, 2-5). Senior ace Ainsley Waddell struck out 15 in a complete-game one-hitter.
Freshman Nisha Mehta was 3 for 4 with a triple and four runs scored, and Sequoia teammate Mackenzie Jackson also hit a triple while going 3 for 5 with two RBIs. The Ravens had 16 hits and led 8-0 after the third inning.
No. 14 Westmont 7, No. 11 Branham 1
A well-rested Westmont team made a statement in its first game in 12 days when it defeated visiting Branham in PAL-Bay Division play.
Branham, coming off a 3-1 victory over No. 16 Sequoia the night before, could only muster five hits against Bella Andrade, who struck out nine in seven innings.
Kaili Esters Capilla led the way for Branham’s offense, going 2 for 3 with a double and three RBIs. Andrade and Rachel Walker each chipped in two hits for Westmont, which improved to 11-5, 5-1.
Senior Tyla Arbuckle had three of Branham’s five hits. The Bruins lost their first league game of the season, falling to 10-5, 4-1.
No. 13 Milpitas 13, Silver Creek 3
Milpitas collected 16 hits and improved to 14-3 in a non-league victory over Silver Creek (7-3). Seniors Taija Warren and Madeline Le each had three hits and combined to drive in five runs.
Freshman Chloe Cabrera hit a double and a triple and had three RBIs. Freshman Dominique Walker pitched a complete game and struck out four in her third appearance of the season.
No. 15 Willow Glen 11, Santa Teresa 1
Willow Glen’s Faamaai Ulu hit a home run and had four RBIs as the Rams stopped a two-game losing streak and improved its record to 10-4, 4-2 against BVAL-Mt Hamilton Division opponent Santa Teresa (9-8, 4-2).
The freshman pitching duo of Alanna Clincy and Lea combined to strike out six in a five-inning game. McKenna Campbell had three RBIs, and Aleki Ulu and Katelynn Dilbeck drove in two apiece. Junior Mariah Avalos drove in Santa Teresa’s only run.
No. 17 Freedom 12, Pittsburg 0
Makayla Cruse and Maya Soto combined to pitch five innings of one-hit softball in Freedom’s (11-6, 4-0) Bay Valley Athletic League victory over Pittsburg (2-9, 0-5).
The duo got plenty of support from the bats, with Madison Evers-Lyles hitting two home runs and driving in three RBIs. Joining her in the home run column were Amanda Royal and Olivia Yanez, who combined to drive in seven runs.