Sports
Baseball: James Logan Wins NCS Division I Title
Colts claim first section title in a decade with a 1-0 thriller at home.
James Logan 1, De La Salle 0
The Star: Logan starting pitcher Alex Martinez, who threw a complete-game, one-hitter.
The Turning Point: A double error in the bottom of the sixth led to the lone run of the game.
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The Quote: “We have nine seniors on this team and this means a lot to them,” Martinez said. “This was a total team effort.
What’s Next? Season over.
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Bottom Line: Logan took advantage of a couple of DLS errors in the bottom of the sixth to plate the game’s lone run.
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Former standout pitcher Andrew Alvarado loaded up the Gatorade bucket with ice. He’s been through this before – exactly 10 years ago. The bucket was for one thing, to be dumped over the head of longtime coach John Goulding.
Alvarado was the starting pitcher the last time Logan won a section title – a North Coast Section 3-A East Bay championship.
Coincidently, Alvarado joined the Logan coaching staff this year.
And what helped guide the Colts to their last section title was the same thing that led to this year’s title after a 1-0 win over visiting De La Salle Monday night … pitching.
“We pitched super good all year long,” Goulding said. “And this is what you’re going to get.”
That was the case against the Spartans. Super sophomore right hander Alex Martinez tossed one of his best performances of the year, a one-hit shutout. He walked one batter, struck out five and faced just two over the minimum.
“I tried to locate every pitch and change speeds,” said Martinez, who also threw a no-hitter against Valley Christian earlier this year.
What led No. 2 seeded Logan (24-4) to this title is the same thing that has carried the Colts all year, the stellar pitching.
Logan’s team ERA this year was around 2.00 – and that has been nothing short of spectacular. Pascual Flores allowed no runs all year. Martinez has a no-hitter to his credit. And Brandon Yau has thrown like a veteran ace you’d expect from a senior that included two wins in this 15-team playoffs.
Behind Martinez’s performance Monday was a near flawless defense that made one error.
“We no-hit Valley Christian, one-hit (De La Salle) and caught the ball well all year,” Goulding said.
Martinez carried a no-hitter into the top of the sixth inning when Hunter Mercado-Hood doubled to right field. It would be the only hit of the game for the No. 4 Spartans (20-8).
The lone run of the game came with two outs on a De La Salle blunder by the shortstop.
Cleanup hitter Pasucal Flores hit a towering flyball that fell in the middle of the third baseman, shortstop and left fielder down the left-field line.
Martinez was intentionally walked to put runners at first and second. And it looked like the Spartans were going to get out of the inning when a routine ground ball was hit up the middle that shortstop Mike Brdar attempted to field. But the usually sure-handed junior bobbled the ball. And his backdoor attempt to get Flores at third base was wide and Flores scored.
“We lost to Amador Valley last year in the semifinals and that hit us hard,” Martinez said. “We knew we had to work hard all season to get this.”
That double by Flores was Logan’s lone hit of the game and his run culminated a season that included a Mission Valley Athletic League title, a Valley Christian Tournament title and a five-game win streak.
“This is very special,” Goulding said. “Most people don’t realize how long ago this started. They were lifting (weights) in September. This doesn’t just happen with the start of February.”
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James Logan 1, De La Salle 0
De La Salle (20-8) 000 000 0 – 0 1 3
James Logan (24-4) 000 001 x – 1 1 1
De La Salle (ab-r-h) – Hood 3-0-1, Johnson 3-0-0, Kranson 1-0-0, Robinson 3-0-0, Brdar 3-0-0, Peters 3-0-0, Smoot 2-0-0, Herting 2-0-0, Freeman 1-0-0, Byers 1-0-0. Totals 22-0-1.
Logan – Puckett 2-0-0, Abeyta 3-0-0, Armstrong 3-0-0, Flores 3-1-1, Martinez 1-0-0, Johnson 2-0-0, Vallejo 2-0-0, Lamm 1-0-0, Yau 2-0-0. Totals 19-1-1.
Pitching
DLS – West (L) CG, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 5 K.
Logan – Martinez (W) CG, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K.
