Championship year: San Ramon Valley’s baseball team, ignited by football hero, wins EBAL title
DANVILLE — The football championship vibes from last fall have rubbed off on San Ramon Valley’s baseball team.
Of course, it helps that the quarterback who led the Danville school to North Coast Section and regional titles, Bay Area News Group player of the year Luke Baker, bats in the heart of the Wolves order.
Friday, with Granada four outs from victory in the East Bay Athletic League title game, the left-handed hitting Baker hooked a two-run homer around the right-field foul pole to give SRV the lead in the bottom of the sixth.
Granada evened the score in the visitor’s half of the seventh.
But SRV got another opportunity in the ninth and UC Santa Barbara-bound Blake Jacobs did what he was determined to do, singling to center with none out to drive in the championship run from third.
Final: SRV 3, Granada 2.
“Having a lot of those guys on that football championship team, you bring that mentality to the next sport,” said Justin Santich-Hughes, in his first season as SRV’s baseball coach. “They’ve been in those spots all fall. So for them, they’re season veterans. The football experience definitely helps. Our team feels that.”
SRV won all three league playoff games this week in extra innings, going eight to beat Foothill in the first round on Tuesday and Amador Valley in the semifinals on Wednesday.
Friday, SRV (18-9) fell behind in the first as two errors accounted for Granada’s 1-0 lead.
But that didn’t bother SRV pitcher Hudson Aber, a UC Santa Barbara commit who held Granada hitless until Peyton Richards stroked a two-out triple in the fifth that scooted past diving sophomore right fielder Marco Jones, a four-star linebacker on the football team.
After Tommy Brown followed with a walk, Aber got a strikeout to end the threat.
“This is probably the biggest game I’ve ever pitched in,” said Aber, a junior. “It was really cool. I had a rough year last year. But it was great to go out there. Great new coaching staff. So supporting.”
Granada’s Parker Warner made the early run stand up deep into the game.
When the junior got the first two batters in the sixth to ground out to shortstop, Warner was four outs from the championship.
But then Julian Cambra, who also plays football, reached on an infield single and Baker sent a 1-1 pitch sailing over the fence in the right-field corner, 300 feet from the plate.
“I felt like it was time for someone to make a play,” said Baker, a junior. “I was just trying to get on base, keep the inning going. Try to get a pitch to hit. And, yeah, scored those runs.”
Granada (20-7) answered Baker’s home run when Warner ripped a double to center, leading to a run that tied the score 2-2.
Warner pitched eight innings. Aber lasted seven.
“I am very happy with Parker’s performance,” Granada coach Corrigan Willis said. “He, in an EBAL championship game, stood up and pitched a great game. That’s all I can say.”
SRV’s winning rally started when Cambra got hit by a pitch to open the ninth. Baker followed with a bunt single.
Cambra then went to third when the ball sailed into center field on a pickoff attempt at second.
Jacobs made Granada pay, hitting a single to center for the walk-off winner.
“In my mind, I knew it was over,” he said. “Anywhere I hit the ball, that would be it. It’s amazing. Being with this team all year, watching everybody grow. It’s really been special. We lost a lot last year. Very young team and watching everyone grow into themselves this year is a cool thing.”
Granada didn’t hide the hurt after falling short of the championship two days after shutting out De La Salle in the semifinals.
“We all wanted this one,” Willis said. “It’s so big, winning this league. We all wanted it. But I tried to relay the message that our season ain’t over.”
No, it’s not.
Both teams will be among the contenders in the North Coast Section playoffs that start next week.
The matchups will be announced Saturday.