Chan Blanks Crescenta Valley on 2-Hitter, 2-0

Senior pitcher Bryan Chan of Glendale High had waited for this moment since he was a child.

The left-hander threw a two-hitter, out-dueling Crescenta Valley’s Brian Bishop to lead the Dynamiters to a 2-0 victory Friday night in a Pacific League baseball game at Stengel Field.

Glendale (17-3, 11-2 in league play) clinched at least a share of its first league title since 1988. Glendale has two games left to play.

“I’ve had a little grudge against Crescenta Valley since Little League,” Chan said. “Until this season, none of my Glendale teams [had] ever beaten them.”

The Dynamiters defeated Crescenta Valley earlier this season, 11-9, a game Chan did not pitch. In their second meeting, the Falcons defeated Chan, 3-2. The third time, as the saying goes, was the charm.

Chan (6-2), who has signed with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, struck out six, walked three and was superb from the start.

He retired the first two batters he faced before Jesse Mitchell reached on an error and Billy Huddleston hit a flare down the right-field line for a single.

After that, the left-hander used a wicked backdoor curveball to keep the Falcons (12-10, 7-6) off balance. He retired nine consecutive batters before issuing a two-out walk to Kevin Enright in the fourth.

Chan needed only 88 pitches to complete the game and, after Huddleston’s single, he held the Falcons hitless until Bobby Donnely got a one-out, pinch-hit single in the seventh.

“It was a typical knock-down, drag-out battle with Crescenta Valley,” Glendale Coach Spiro Psaltis said. “But tonight Bryan wasn’t going to be denied.”

Chan’s performance overshadowed Bishop, who also threw a two-hitter.

Bishop walked Tony Cisneros with one out in the first, then struck out Fernando Rios. But the third strike got away from catcher Mike Benedetto and Rios reached first with Cisneros taking third.

Phil Onsaga followed with a two-run double to right-center field.

But Bishop, who struck out five and walked one, retired the next 12 batters before Ryan Noll poked a single to right with one out in the fifth.