Baseball: City Section playoffs begin with Banning-Granada Hills showdown

John Gonzalez has his Banning High baseball team in peak form. The Pilots went unbeaten in the Marine League and have won 12 consecutive games. He’s treating his team’s City Section Division I playoff opener against visiting Granada Hills on Tuesday just like any other game.

But the Pilots have clearly drawn one of the toughest openers as the No. 5 seed. That’s because Granada Hills has the hardest throwing pitcher in the City Section in Chris Murphy, a San Diego signee. In recent weeks, Murphy was close to beating both No. 1 seed Chatsworth and No. 2 seed El Camino Ral before losing in the final inning.

Banning will likely use ace Ivan Martinez against Murphy. The key is staying close, being patient and waiting to see if Murphy is walking batters. If he’s on, he’s not going to give up many runs or hits.

The West Valley’s top four teams were seeded one through four. Granada Hills finished in fifth place in the West Valley League.

Another intriguing opener matches San Fernando against Sun Valley Poly, the East Valley League champion. They are neighborhood rivals with strong alumni support, so it should be an energetic atmosphere at Poly.

San Fernando Valley teams have won every Division I title except one since 1973. Second-round games are scheduled for Thursday, with the semifinals next Tuesday at USC and the final on March 28 at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

Here’s the link to complete playoff schedule.

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