High school roundup: Granada, off to best softball start since 2014, beats Foothill

Softball

Granada softball coach John Heinz says his team this spring has the potential to be one of the best he has had in 13 years at the Livermore school.

The Matadors showed why Thursday.

Granada rolled past East Bay Athletic League rival Foothill 13-6 to improve to 9-0, the Matadors’ best start since 2014 when they lost in the North Coast Section Division I championship game.

In Heinz’s mind, his team, which is ranked fourth by the Bay Area News Group, is just scratching the surface.

“Out of all the teams I’ve coached, this team has all the pieces to be the most successful,” Heinz said. “We have the pitching, team speed and we definitely have the bats.”

The Matadors hadn’t been challenged much, outscoring their opponents 79-16 entering play Thursday. But after two innings against sixth-ranked Foothill, Granada trailed by three.

Heinz made adjustments, and they paid off.

“We had to move some kids around,” Heinz said. “They trust their teammates to step in and that is going to make us a stronger team.”

The Matadors scored 12 of the final 13 runs. Freshman Delaney Aumua had two hits and five RBIs. Pitcher Alex Mello went 6 ⅓ innings, giving up six hits and three earned runs.

Granada improved to 4-0 in the EBAL. Foothill dropped to 7-2, 1-2.

No. 5 Livermore 3, Liberty 0

Livermore’s Taylor Rodriguez pitched a one-hitter and struck out 14, the seventh time this season she has had double-digit strikeouts, to lead her team past Liberty in a non-league game.

Livermore improved to 6-1-1. Liberty is 1-5.

No. 17 Castro Valley 2, No. 12 Alameda 1

Bella Tavares pitched a complete game for the Trojans, shutting out Alameda until the last inning, as Castro Valley survived a tight West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division game at home.

Castro Valley improved to 6-3, 2-1. Alameda is 5-3, 2-1.

No. 7 Aragon 2, No. 14 Sequoia 1

Aragon extended its winning streak to five games, beating Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division rival Sequoia on the road. Janelle Jee and Brooke Tran had the only hits for Aragon (6-3, 2-0).

Sequoia fell to 8-3, 1-1.

No. 16 California 4, No. 18 San Ramon Valley 3

Noelani Ching hit a walk-off single as the Grizzlies overcame a two-run deficit in the final inning to beat San Ramon Valley in EBAL play.

California improved to 7-3, 1-1. San Ramon Valley is 7-5, 1-2.

Baseball

No. 2 Clayton Valley 1, Campolindo 0

Aiden Romero hit a walk-off single to bring in Isaiah Landry to beat Campolindo in a Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division game.

Hank Phifer (four innings, nine strikeouts) and Carl Rice (three innings, three strikeouts) combined for the shutout.

Clayton Valley improved to 8-1, 3-1. Campolindo is 5-4, 0-2.

College Park 12, Benicia 2

College Park scored five runs in the fourth inning and three in the fifth to roll past Benicia in DAL Foothill Division play.

Logan Tonsberg hit a three-run home run and Charlie Malton scored three runs for the Falcons (5-4, 2-2).

Benicia fell to 4-4, 1-2.

Menlo School 8, Sacred Heart Prep 6

Menlo scored three in the fifth and three in the sixth to erase a three-run deficit in a victory over archrival Sacred Heart Prep in a PAL Ocean Division game.

Menlo improved to 5-4-1, 1-1. Sacred Heart Prep is 5-6, 3-1.