Olson Silences Valencia

Jordan Olson is an ex-basketball player with a good memory.

He’s now a baseball player with a good curveball.

He used both to his advantage Wednesday night at Stengel Field, pitching a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and Crescenta Valley High won the championship of the Babe Herman tournament with an 11-1 victory over Valencia.

It was the first time since 1977 that Crescenta Valley (11-2-1) won the tournament it co-hosts with Glendale and Hoover.

The game was called in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the 10-run rule.

“I don’t like Valencia,” Olson said. “I remember them from basketball and they used to talk a lot. They are a bunch of big mouths.”

Making the game even more special for Olson was remembering watching the Babe Herman tournament as a youngster.

“I remember sitting in the stands and wishing I could be out there playing,” he said. “It’s much more exciting to be on the field.”

Olson (3-1), a junior left-hander, became more dominant as the game wore on.

He needed just 79 pitches to complete his six innings, struck out the side in the fourth and set Valencia down on 17 pitches in the last two innings.

“Jordan is solid,” Crescenta Valley Coach Phil Torres said. “He’s a Division I guy who’s going to be draftable next year and will go as far as he wants.”

Crescenta Valley battered the Vikings with a balanced attack. Seven of the Falcons’ starters drove in runs, including third baseman Ryan McKnight, who was three for three with three runs batted in, and Tim Balkey, who had two RBIs.

“The kids did a nice job this week,” Torres said. “We’re executing real well with the sacrifices and hit-and-runs, and putting a lot of pressure on the other team.”

Valencia (12-4) has relied on its pitching staff all season but it wasn’t there against Crescenta Valley.

Jarred Myren, the team’s No. 3 starter who had allowed one run in his past 12 innings, gave up six runs on six hits and three walks before leaving with two on and none out in the fourth.

Myren’s downfall came in the third inning when Crescenta Valley sent 10 batters to the plate, scored four runs on four hits and two balks.

Before the third, the Falcons managed one hit against Myren.

Second baseman Mark McCauley of Crescenta Valley, named the tournament’s most valuable player, had two hits in the championship game and finished the tournament with 11 hits in 15 at-bats.