Ganesha not only shows up for Division 2 title game, but beats Loyola

Ganesha High, the baseball team that planned to be in Mississippi on Saturday for a camp until persuaded by the Pomona Unified School District superintendent to show up for the Southern Section Division 2 championship game, had the last laugh on everyone, beating Loyola 6-3 at Rancho Cucamonga Quakes field.

It was a subdued celebration scene following the final out in which star pitcher Logan Schmidt made his first ever relief appearance.

"I've never relieved in my life," Schmidt said.

He got the save, then took the win in stride in his first season playing high school baseball, explaining, "We know we're supposed to win every time we step on the field."

Coach Jared Sandler, who said he was scheduled to leave at 11:59 p.m. for a flight to Mississippi to run his camp, reversed the decision originally made on Friday that the cost of changing flights for players and parents to the camp would prevent sending his top players to Saturday's game.

He said a conversation with the superintendent, Darren Knowles, resulted in everyone playing. "He asked us to come play and out of respect to him we represented his school district," Sandler said.

The controversy surrounding Ganesha revolves around most of the players taking online classes outside of the Pomona area and being part of Sandler's club program.

Sandler said Schmidt texted him "10 times" asking to pitch. He had a bullpen Friday and is supposed to throw before pro scouts on Sunday in Mississippi, so there was uncertainty whether he'd pitch. He started in center field and had an RBI single. He has given up one earned run in 59 innings.

Sandler said he doesn't worry about what others think of his program, saying, "We're very comfortable who we are."

He added, "We don't act like any other team. We don't say one thing to any team, any coach, any umpires. We celebrate the way we believe is right. We respect the game, we respect our opponent."

Asked why he uses a lineup card from his club program instead of representing Ganesha, Sandler said, "It's a small budget. You don't get lineup cards. They're free from BPA [Baseball Performance Academy]."

After the drama of Friday when the Southern Section didn't know if Ganesha would show with only backup players, Ganesha showed how much talent it has, executing on a hit-and-run play to break a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning, then executing on a squeeze bunt for another run. Dyson Grant finished with two hits and Bryant Loo had a two-run double and three RBIs.

Loyola received 4 1/3 strong innings on the mound from freshman Sheriff Hall. Jack Murray and Magnus Mayer each had two hits.

Division 3

Mira Costa 9, Agoura 7:The Mustangs overcame a 6-1 deficit to win the Division 3 title at Cal State Fullerton. Five runs in the fifth inning and three in the sixth propelled the comeback, with Nick Feidler breaking a 6-6 tie by hitting a solo home run. Kellan Finn hit a three-run triple in the fifth. Austin Olness had two hits and two RBIs. Connor Collins had two hits and picked up the win in relief.

Division 4

Glendora 3, Laguna Beach 2:Santiago Garza broke a 2-2 tie with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth at Cal State Fullerton. Four Glendora pitchers combined to give up four hits. Jude Garcia picked up the win in relief and also drove in the tying run in the sixth. Dylan Yencho had two hits and two RBIs for Laguna Beach.

Division 5

Culver City 9, Kaiser 8:After leading 9-2, the Centaurs held on to win the Division 5 title with Teven Davis getting the final out on a fly ball to earn the save. Nicholas Ramos had two doubles and Vince Ferrier finished with two hits and two RBIs. Joey Anthony Chavez contributed three hits for Kaiser.

Division 6

Brentwood 5, Covina 1:Hayden Prince gave up four hits over 5 2/3 innings and Hudson Chase had a two-run triple to deliver a Division 6 title for the Eagles. Ace Jack Kaplan came in to close the game with 1 1/3 hitless innings. Prince went three for three.

Division 7

North Torrance 7, South El Monte 1: Shane Yamamoto had three hits and two RBIs while Mason Matsumoto struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings to lead the Saxons.

Division 8

Schurr 9, Rancho Alamitos 0: Joey Amano threw the shutout and Javon Bryant had three hits. Amano had a no-hitter broken up with two outs in the fifth inning. He finished with six strikeouts.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 9:53 PM.