Crescenta Valley Junior baseball All-Stars fall in Section 2 title game
After losing the opening game of the Section 2 Tournament, the Crescenta Valley Junior baseball All-Star team found itself in a tough spot.
Having to play two straight days to get back into title contention in the double-elimination event, Crescenta Valley won two games to reach the title game of the tournament on Monday at Granada Hills Little League Field.
In Crescenta Valley’s path stood Arcadia American, which hadn’t allowed a run in the tournament.
Unfortunately for Crescenta Valley, it’s championship journey came to a close with a 6-4 defeat.
“We’ve got a lot to be proud of over the last couple of weeks,” Crescenta Valley coach David Kim said. “[Arcadia] has a stacked lineup and we wound up giving their team a scare.
“I thought we did a fantastic job coming through the weekend after losing the first game and we stayed with it right up through the final inning. We just came up a little short.”
Crescenta Valley, which won the District 16 championship, began the tournament Friday with a 6-5 loss to Tehachapi (District 51 champion) before regrouping Saturday to record a 9-5 victory against District 40 Granada Hills. Crescenta Valley then posted a 12-1 win against Tehachapi on Sunday in a game called after five innings to punch its ticket to the championship game.
Arcadia, which captured the District 17 championship and will participate in the division state tournament in Anaheim, scored one run in each of the first three innings Monday to build a 3-0 lead.
Crescenta Valley rallied for three runs in the bottom of the third to tie it at 3. Quinn Deitch scored on a balk to make it 3-1 before Ben Elster drove in Kai Purdy-Burton with a single. Crescenta Valley tied it at 3 on a bases-loaded walk to Nick Goethals.
Arcadia, which defeated Granada Hills, 13-0, and Tehachapi, 11-0, on the way to the title game, scored three runs in the fifth to take a 6-3 lead.
Crescenta Valley closed out the scoring in the seventh when Deitch scored on an error.
“It was such a great experience to get this far after winning district,” Kim said. “It was definitely an honor to be able to coach a group like this at this level.”
Isaac Sung finished with two hits for Crescenta Valley. Deitch walked four times and scored twice.
On Sunday, Sung, Purdy-Burton, Deitch, Tyler Yu and Zach Roh each scored two runs.
Crescenta Valley pitcher Devon Medina struck out four in 6 1/3 innings in Saturday’s contest.
Twitter: @TCNCharlesRich
