Crescenta Valley 9-10 suffers tough setback versus Northridge City

If the Crescenta Valley 9-10 baseball All-Stars are to make a run in the Section 2 Tournament this weekend at Woodland Hills Sunrise Little League, the squad will have to do so out of the loser’s bracket.

That’s because visiting Crescenta Valley was dealt a setback in losing in heart-breaking fashion, as District 40 champion Northridge City scored the game-winning run in the seventh inning in notching an 11-10 victory in Thursday’s opening-round action.

With the defeat, Crescenta Valley will now face either Arcadia American or Quartz Hill in an elimination contest back at Woodland Hills on Saturday at noon.

A loss would end Crescenta Valley’s season, while a triumph would propel the squad into a game Sunday at 9 a.m.

“This was a little bit of a disappointment and now we’re going to have win this out of the loser’s bracket,” Crescenta Valley Coach Kevin Deitch said. “The kids played really well and we just faced a Northridge opponent that just won it in the seventh.”

At one point, District 16 champion Crescenta Valley took a 9-4 lead thanks in part to a three-run homer from Luca Cuneo.

However, Northridge City rallied and jumped ahead, 10-9, after five innings.

While Crescenta Valley pulled even at 10 in the sixth, the comeback served to make Thursday’s defeat a little tougher to swallow.

“We had the lead for almost the entire game and they found a way to tie up the game,” Deitch said. “We made a few too many mistakes, but we’ll tighten it up and make a run.”