Crescenta Valley softball comeback stops streaking Glendale

GLENDALE — Entering a pivotal Pacific League showdown for second place, Crescenta Valley High’s softball team had lost seven games in a row, Glendale had won nine straight and Nitros all-state standout Sammy Fabian had garnered great acclaim with a spectacular 61-game, career-long hitting streak.

In the conclusion to the rivals’ crazy two-game series, all three streaks came to a conclusion.

In the most unconventional of fashions, Crescenta Valley scored three runs in the sixth to close within one run of Glendale, which had led throughout.

Then the Falcons erupted for seven straight hits to start the seventh, resulting in four runs and a dramatic 8-5 comeback win over host Glendale on an overcast Thursday afternoon.

“We had a dip and we had to dig deep,” said Falcons Coach Amanda Peek, whose team improved to 13-11, 9-3 in league to tie Glendale (15-5, 9-3) for second place behind Burroughs, which clinched the title outright on the strength of defeating Hoover coupled with the Nitros’ loss. “They played like a team and they were resilient.”

Trailing, 5-1, entering the sixth, Crescenta Valley scored three runs before commencing a hit parade in the seventh, with Kendall Ebert doubling home Jessica Yzaguirre to tie the game before Ebert scored on the ensuing at-bat off a game-winning single by Sydnee Wells.

While the four-run Falcons surge was disastrous for Glendale, it gave Fabian, a Cal-Hi Sports All-State, All-CIF and All-Area selection last season, one more chance to add to her amazing hitting streak.

But Fabian, who found no fortune on the day with a lineout, a hard hit groundout and a chopper up the middle that hit off the pitcher’s glove to the second baseman for a fielder’s choice, would finish at 0 for four as her bunt attempt was fouled back into the catcher’s glove. Nitros Coach Greg Martin immediately argued that the ball did not go over Fabian’s head and should have been a foul tip, but it was to no avail.

“All great things come to an end,” Martin said. “I’m proud of what she was able to accomplish and she’ll come back and she’ll start another streak and take it to UC Santa Barbara with her.”

Martin’s Nitros have two league games remaining against Hoover to close out the regular season, while Crescenta Valley plays out the year with Arcadia. Both have clinched an automatic postseason berth after one week and two wild games.

“It was a crazy week of softball,” Martin said.

On Tuesday, it was the Nitros who trailed, 5-1, before roaring back for a 13-8 win. This time around, it was the Falcons.

“This was the opposite side of what has been us,” Peek said of her team rallying from behind. “We’ve been ahead in almost every game and we haven’t been able to finish.”

Nine Falcons combined for Crescenta Valley’s 13 hits, with Alyssa Hernandez, Vivianna Sandvall, Taylor Hoogenhuizen and Paige Baker notching two apiece.

“We didn’t let up, we just attacked the pitcher and got those runs in,” Hernandez said.

But it wasn’t like that at the onset, as Glendale starter Jordan Lousararian held the Falcons hitless over the first three innings. Meanwhile, the Nitros had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Tiffany Bartamian lifted a huge double to score Esme Piedra (two hits) and Alex Howard came around on a sacrifice fly from Grace Sinisterra.

Crescenta Valley finally broke through in the fourth when Sandvall doubled with two outs, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Hoogenhuizen single.

Glendale pecked its way to three runs in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-1.

Back-to-back singles began the inning before a hit to right field through the second baseman by Piedra scored Amanda Gonzalez. Fabian, who had stolen second and moved to third on Piedra’s single, scored on an error put in play by Howard. Then Howard stole second, drew a throw and allowed Piedra to steal home.

But that was the end of the Nitros’ offense, as Glendale had won nine in a row and scored double-digit runs in six straight, but went cold against Hoogenhuizen, who went the distance for the victory, holding the Nitros without a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings and to just six for the game.

“We let them back in the game and we simply didn’t hit as well as we did Tuesday,” Martin said. “We let them off the hook.”

After the Nitros’ final offensive salvo, the Falcons fired back.

After Sydnee Wells drew a lead-off walk, she scored on a triple to deep center field by Hernandez. However, Hernandez was waived around third and thrown out by an excellent relay and high tag at the plate by Bartamian. With two outs, the Falcons loaded the bases and complete confusion broke out.

With Jennie Chacon at the plate, she thought she had drawn a fourth ball and put her bat down and moved to first. The home plate umpire told her it was only ball three, but the Falcons on the bases had started to shuffle. Bartamian threw to first to get Baker in a rundown. Baker eventually slid back safely to first while courtesy runner Marissa Guitierrez and Kristy Taix had come around to bring the Falcons to a 5-4 deficit.

By this time, Glendale freshman pitcher Aurora Funaro, who pitched brilliantly in relief on Tuesday to shut out the Falcons down the stretch, had moved into the circle. But as the seventh inning came along, nobody could quell the Falcons’ bats.

Lousararian eventually returned to the circle, but the Falcons’ hits kept coming.

Jessica Yzaguirrie led off with an infield single and then Ebert came up and promptly tied it.

“We just started having fun and it just started coming together,” Ebert said. “I just tried to help my team any way I could.”

Ebert, who took third on a throw home on her double, scored off a Wells single for the game-winning run. Following a Hernandez single, Sandvall scored Wells for a 7-5 lead with another single. Hoogenhuizen added another base hit, but a stellar scoop and throw home by Fabian prevented a score as the bases were loaded. Then Payton Hause drove in the final run, scoring Hernandez.

But the Falcons didn’t go down conventionally. First, a sensational 6-2-5 double play was turned by Glendale, thanks in large part to a heads-up play by Bartamian and a sensational throw. Then Guitierrez singled to right, but the runner at third took too large of a turn and was tagged out going back to third.

A Falcons error to start the seventh gave the Nitros a dash of hope, but this time around the comeback was had by the Falcons, as all the streaks came to a close.

“We just really wanted to work as a whole,” Hernandez said. “We knew we had to fight our hearts out.”