Crescenta Valley Junior baseball keeps on winning

Crescenta Valley All-Stars Junior baseball continued its winning ways Tuesday evening with a 9-6 victory over host American Indian in the opening round of the Section 2 Tournament at Tehachapi Little League.

With the victory, the District 16 champions earned themselves both advancement into the winner’s bracket and a break, as Crescenta Valley will next be in action Thursday versus Encino at 6 p.m. back at Tehachapi.

District 40 champion Encino earned its way to Thursday by defeating District 17 champion Santa Anita, 5-4, on Monday.

“It’s a good way to start off,” Crescenta Valley Coach Bryan Rich said. “We kept the hitting up from the weekend and now we’ll get a day off.”

As for Tuesday, Crescenta Valley led the entire way.

Trent Steele scored the visitor’s first run on a passed ball in the second inning and the Falcons eventually led, 4-0, after three frames.

The lead ballooned to as large as 6-2 in the fifth, before American Indian climbed to within 8-5 in the sixth.

Both teams added a run in the seventh for the final score.

On offense, Jagr Proiette led his squad by going three for four with two runs, while being hit by a pitch. Proiette also picked up the save for his team in relief of J.D. Schaffer, who tossed three scoreless innings and notched the victory.

Schaffer also had three hits and scored a run for Crescenta Valley, which received a double from David Melendez and a run-scoring single and two walks from Steele.

“The good news for us is that we’ll be able to use J.D. again for Thursday, so that’s a big advantage,” Rich said. “Our pitching was OK today and we got a big save from Jagr.”

Crescenta Valley earned its way to the Section 2 Tournament by defeating Burbank, 11-7, on Saturday at Tujunga Ball Fields to win the District 16 championship.