Arroyo Grande upsets No. 1 Loyola in state baseball D2 SoCal playoffs
Arroyo Grande began its state CIF playoff campaign with a big win over the top team in the Division 2 SoCal bracket.
Playing a first-round game in Los Angeles against No. 1 Loyola (19-14-1), the No. 8 Eagles (25-9) won 4-3 in eight innings.
Arroyo Grande pulled ahead with a run in the eighth inning after being knotted at 3-3.
“This is one of the biggest wins in program history,” said Eagles Coach Steve Tolley. “This was a very elite program that we played against today. I’m very proud of the boys.”
Brock Paz was 2-for-3 with a double, Tane Kurth had a double and two RBIs, Colton Gotchal had a hit and an RBI and Ruben Servin had three walks and scored two runs for the Eagles.
Arroyo Grande split up the pitching duties among Grady Pope, Tanner Bournonville and Thomas Winterberg.
Pope started the game, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts.
The Eagles move on to face Bakersfield Christian on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in Bakersfield, the same team that defeated them 4-3 in the CIF-Central Section final last week.
“I’m glad we’re facing them and we get a chance to turn the table,” Tolley said.
This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 9:26 PM.
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