UNION CITY — Tuesday night’s 5-3 win over Monte Vista in the first round of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs was a full-circle moment for James Logan.
Just over a month ago, the Colts had one of their worst losses of the season, losing to the Mustangs in the Gator Classic Tournament in a game they let slip away late.
But that loss sparked a fire in Logan which resulted in the Colts winning 12 straight heading into Tuesday night.
For Logan, avenging its loss to the Danville school was the only thing on the team’s mind.
“We haven’t beaten Monte Vista in six years,” said Logan coach Luis Soto. “The loss we had to them earlier this year was definitely in the back of our heads. We did a lot of research and had a lot of preparation, so I was happy to see the results today.”
In a gritty defensive display, Logan pulled out an impressive win at home to advance to the NCS Division I quarterfinals where it will play top-seeded Granada.
Logan junior Evan Yau was 2 for 3 with two doubles and two RBIs. Senior Jesus Vasquez had two hits and got it done on the mound too, striking out seven in three innings pitched.
Though Monte Vista was the higher seed, Logan was awarded the home game for winning its league. The home field advantage gave the Colts some much-needed energy early.
Yash Gupta knocked in Trevian Martinez in the first inning to put the first run on the board for the Colts. Two batters later, Yau hit a double to center field that scored Gupta and senior Joshua Parras to give Logan a 3-0 cushion.
After a sluggish start offensively, Monte Vista found its groove in the third inning. Ronan French’s RBI single brought home Brad Ballard to tie the game at three as the Mustangs shifted the momentum back in their favor.
But each time Monte Vista had a chance to take the game over, the Mustangs failed to capitalize.
Monte Vista loaded the bases in the third, fourth and fifth innings but couldn’t take the lead away from the Colts, despite Logan committing four fielding errors.
“I thought we put ourselves in positions to win, but we just made too many mental mistakes,” said Monte Vista coach Mateo Miramontes.
Meanwhile, Logan’s offense did just enough to stay ahead. Vasquez scored on a fielder’s choice in the fourth, giving the Colts a one-run advantage. In the fifth, Parras scored his second run of the game when Monte Vista overthrew first base and the senior scored from second base to give Logan a 5-3 lead.
Soto made the decision in the fifth to bring in Vasquez for starting pitcher Westley Vega, and the move made big dividends.
Vasquez’s fastball gave Monte Vista batters trouble as the Mustangs mustered up just a hit while the senior was on the mound.
“I was just focused on throwing strikes,” Vasquez said. “My mind was blank the whole time I was out there. I tried to have no thoughts at all. I just went out there and pitched.”
Each time Logan was in a dangerous situation, it somehow found a way to get out of it.
When Monte Vista had the bases loaded in the third with one out, Logan turned a double play to end the inning. The same happened in the fourth when the Colts got out of a jam by catching a lineout to right field and throwing out a Mustang runner trying to advance to second on a 9-4 double play.
“This entire year, we worked on our mental toughness,” Soto said. “When those situations happen we know we’re ready to go because of the mindfulness that we work on.”
When Gupta caught the final out to end the game, Logan players and fans rejoiced on the field. The Colts are aiming to win their first section championship since 2011.
Though Monte Vista’s season ends, Miramontes said he is proud of the way his team battled despite setbacks early on.
“I’m proud of the way the guys fought this season,” he said. “We struggled a little bit early and our guys finally got healthy, and ever since that point, we were so confident. I’m really proud that they believed that that would make us successful and it did.”
The Mustangs finished the season 15-12.
Logan will have the tough task of playing Granada, the top team in the section on Friday. The Colts played the Livermore school in their first game of the season, but lost 10-1.
While Logan knows it will be the underdog, the Colts believe they are a different team from the beginning of the season.
“I think we’re just more mature,” Gupta said. “At the end of the day it’s just a baseball game. We’re gonna go out there and play our best and I’m sure Granada is gonna give their best, but we’ll see who comes out on top.”
