Josiah Granados had the walkoff hit that gave the West Valley baseball team a 3-2 10-inning win over visiting Skyline Thursday afternoon. But it was a pair of highlight-reel worthy defensive plays that shut down Trojan threats that will sit alongside the Granados heroics in Viking lore.
Granados stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with nobody out and Henry Wright on third, Evan Meier at second and Curran Ozawa-Burns on first. He sent a Gene Aberouette offering to deep right past Skyline outfielder Tyler Wright, scoring Wright and igniting a Viking infield celebration.
It was two defensive gems that set the stage for the Granados hit. With the score tied 2-2 in the top of the ninth, White ripped a shot to second where Viking Wes Scoffone made a diving stab of the one-hopper and threw out the speedy White at first.
An inning later, Trojan catcher Jake Pashby attempted a bunt that Viking pitcher Jalen Jagdeo miraculously grabbed just before it hit the turf in front of the mound and doubled up Pat Norton at second. Jagdeo would get Sean Vanderaa to fly out to left to set the stage for WVC's bottom-of-the-10th fireworks.
West Valley was hitless until the fourth, but evened things at 1-1 with a Tyler Pereira run on a Skyline error in the third. The Trojans capitalized on a Viking error in the top of the seventh to take a 2-1 lead.
Ozawa-Burns singled with one out in the eighth, moved to second on a Granados walk, and came home on a vicious double to left from Jacob Serpa. It would stay 2-2 until Grandos returned to the plate in the bottom of the 10th.
Ozawa-Burns finished 2-5, while Serpa was 2-4 with an RBI. Alexander Howard went 1-2 with an RBI double. Viking starter Erik Peterson hurled a strong three innings, scattering four hits and striking out five. Michael Dixson struck out three and gave up three hits in four innings of relief. Jagdeo earned the win.