Crescenta Valley Gets Aced Out in 8th by Quartz Hill’s Cox, 1-0

Chelsey Hume’s sacrifice fly in the eighth inning gave Quartz Hill High a 1-0 victory over Crescenta Valley in a Division I semifinal game of the High Desert tournament Saturday at Lancaster City Park.

Meredith Cervenka, The Times’ pitcher of the year last season, pitched a two-hitter and struck out 10 for the Falcons (5-4). She had a chance to put Crescenta Valley ahead but grounded out with runners at second and third to end the sixth inning.

Cervenka pitched a one-hitter with 17 strikeouts in a 3-0 victory over Moorpark that finished only 30 minutes before the semifinal game.

“It was pretty much what I expected,” assistant Coach Ben Meyers of Quartz Hill said. “A great game between two super pitchers.”

Jodie Cox (12-1) of Quartz Hill pitched a three-hitter and struck out eight.

“It was nerve-racking,” Cox said of the Falcons’ rally, which started with a passed ball after a strikeout and an error by first baseman Andrea Cabrales. “But we’ve been in situations like that before and I was confident we could bear down and come through.”

Cox tagged out Heidi Hutchhausen along the third-base line for the first out, then fielded a bunt and threw home to catcher Olaya Salazar, who tagged Erica Fernandez for the second out.

Cox, who had 10 strikeouts in the Rebels’ 6-0 shutout over Harvard-Westlake in the quarterfinals, was The Times’ player of the year last season and led the Rebels to a Southern Section championship.

“[Cervenka] is awesome,” Cox said. “I knew we would either win, 1-0, or they would. It was the type of game where every pitch was important, and I’m glad we were able to rise to the occasion.”

In other High Desert tournament games, all at Lancaster City Park:

Highland 7, Paraclete 2--Melissa Rawson had three hits, including a grand slam, and five runs batted in for the Bulldogs in the other Division I semifinal game.

Nicole Rawson (7-3) pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts for Highland (8-3).

The Spirits (6-3) left the bases loaded to end the game.