PITTSBURG — Though it was April Fools, Granada wasn’t messing around in its matchup with Pittsburg.
On a windy afternoon and in a battle of the East Bay’s top two programs, Granada – ranked fourth in the latest Bay Area News Group rankings – handed Pittsburg its first loss of the season with a solid 4-1 win on the road.
Granada senior and Arizona State-bound catcher Tommy Brown had a bases-clearing RBI double in the second inning that blew the game open. He finished Tuesday’s game knocking in a season-high four runs.
“We knew they had something to lose with them being undefeated,” Brown said. “They were playing for that and that honestly makes a team nervous. We just came out and played our game.
“We’re no joke.”
Seniors Logan Robinson and Mason Ravera combined to give just five hits and no earned runs. Granada didn’t allow more than two hits in an inning and the Matadors pitched Pittsburg into contact.
“We knew Pitt was going to be tough,” Granada coach Corrigan Willis said. “They play small ball and they got some guys that could bang. We just had to get ahead of hitters and play good defense.”
Pittsburg put up the first run of the game in the first inning when BYU commit JJ Robinson scored from third on an error. But that’s the last time the typically explosive Pittsburg offense would cross the plate.
The Matadors responded in the next inning.
Pittsburg retired the first two batters, but walked the next three to load the bases for Brown, who was patiently waiting for his pitch.
On a 1-1 count, Brown smashed a fastball to deep center field, scoring Jarrett Fahnhorst, Adrian Zambrano and Joey Marasco to put the Matadors up 3-1.
“I was just hunting fastballs,” Brown said. “The wind played a big factor and maybe anywhere else it might go yard, but I was just hunting the fastball. When he gave it to me and I saw my pitch, I didn’t miss it.”
Brown came up big once again, two innings later. He smashed a ball deep into right field on a sacrifice fly to bring home Marasco from third and push the Granada lead to three runs in the fourth inning.
Meanwhile, Granada’s rangy infield gave Pittsburg fits.
The Pirates, who usually find ways to hit into the gaps, struggled to get on base even when good contact was made. With Marasco at shortstop and senior Mikey Boyd at third, Granada seldom allowed a ball to get past the infield.
The duo combined for nine assists on 11 chances. Pittsburg had a runner on first with no outs in the sixth, but Boyd helped turn a 5-4-3 double play that shifted the momentum back in Granada’s favor.
“They made some plays that most teams just don’t make, especially with the balls up the middle,” Pittsburg coach Marco Cartagena said. “Their third baseman was a stud and he made those plays. A lot of guys would make errors on a lot of those plays.”
Ravera relieved Robinson in the fourth inning and allowed just two hits during his time on the mound. Granada recorded the game’s final out when Boyd fielded a line drive toward the opposite field gap and threw out Pittsburg’s final runner at first.
With the win, Granada moved to 8-2 with wins over North Coast Section powerhouses such as Cardinal Newman, De La Salle, College Park, James Logan and now Pittsburg.
Pittsburg had its 11-game winning streak snapped, but Cartagena believes there’s learning lessons in losing to the reigning NorCal champions.
“We lost 4-1, but I felt like we held our own,” Cartagena said. “If I’m going to lose a game, I’d rather lose it to the NorCal champions.”
