Hernandez, Crescenta Valley softball blank rival Arcadia
LA CRESCENTA — Dee Dee Hernandez had quite an introduction to the longstanding rivalry between the Crescenta Valley High and Arcadia softball teams.
Hernandez made her first appearance in the rivalry Thursday when the squads met in the first of two head-to-head Pacific League matchups.
Hernandez, a freshman, yielded three hits and struck out six to ignite host Crescenta Valley to a 2-0 victory that keeps the Falcons in first place.
Hernandez, a left-hander, escaped a couple of late jams to move the Falcons to 17-1, 6-0 in league. Crescenta Valley, which shared the league championship with Burroughs last season, has won 13 games in a row with the Falcons at nearly the midway point of league.
“It’s exciting to go out there and face a team like Arcadia,” said Hernandez, who struck out the side in the seventh inning. “You feel a little pressure, but you just have to keep concentrating.
“Being new to the rivalry, I just had to stay in the zone. I liked our chances once we got the lead and I felt better.”
Crescenta Valley held a 2-0 lead in the sixth. Arcadia (5-8, 2-4) loaded the bases with two outs before Hernandez fielded a grounder to hold the Apaches at bay. Hernandez charged out of the circle before being greeted by teammates near the dugout.
In the seventh, Hernandez hit Mya Saucedo with a pitch with two outs. The freshman then struck out Hermay Mathiew to end the contest.
“Dee Dee is a gamer,” Crescenta Valley coach Amanda Peek said. “She’s got a lot of heart and it carried over late in the game.
“Our bats were not awake today. We did just enough to win. Arcadia came out strong and fought every inning. Arcadia gave themselves a chance to win.”
The Falcons, who have recorded shutouts in five of their first six league games, took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a two-out single by Peyton Hause that scored Maddie De Leon.
Crescenta Valley made it 2-0 in the fifth on a run-scoring double by Alyssa Hernandez that scored Devon Medina, who had a lead-off double and advanced to third on a sacrifice by Ariana Chavez.
“We were able to get a couple of big hits,” Peek said.
Crescenta Valley finished with seven hits, including two from Kristy Taix. On defense, Crescenta Valley left fielder Jennie Chacon made a diving catch at the foul line in the fourth.
“We like where we are right now, but we still have quite a bit of work to do,” Peek said. “There’s still a lot of games left in league and we want to be peaking heading into the playoffs. Right now, we’re not even close to peaking.”
Crescenta Valley will take part in another league game on Tuesday at Hoover.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
