CV stars grab title
NORTHEAST GLENDALE — To get to the championship game, the Crescenta Valley and Burbank Junior All-Star Baseball teams featured potent lineups capable of scoring at the drop of a hat.
A closer look at the District 16 Tournament results shows that each team had little difficulty reaching double digits with lineups capable of grinding out at-bats and putting the ball in play regularly. Crescenta Valley proved to have more in the tank.
Crescenta Valley finished with 15 hits, including a game-high four from center fielder Bryan Wang, to pick up a convincing 15-1 victory against Burbank in the tournament’s championship contest at Scholl Canyon Ball Fields. The game was called after the fifth inning because of the 10-run rule.
Crescenta Valley, which scored 40 runs in three tournament games, will next compete in the Section 2 Tournament. Crescenta Valley will compete at 10 a.m. Saturday at Scholl.
“We’ve got good depth all the way through the lineup,” said Wang, who had two singles and one home run and a double. “It’s like one hit can lead to another.
“In all three [tournament] games, we jumped out early in the first inning. I felt good [Monday]. I was just feeling it.”
Crescenta Valley, which opened the tournament Friday with a 13-12 victory against Burbank at Scholl, received two hits apiece from Austin Brines and Kyle Tremain.
Burbank reached the championship game Sunday with a 16-15 win against Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans at Dunsmore Park. However, it couldn’t come close to matching its output Monday.
“I think we were a little fatigued and we are a young team,” said Burbank Coach Joe Bogenschutz, whose team finished with three hits and committed six errors. “We had seventh and eight graders going up against high school players.
“We just ran out of gas. We have some tough games and it took its toll. They were just a stronger team.”
Crescenta Valley wasted no time getting started, as it spiked the plate three times in the top of the first inning. Ted Boeke and Brimes each drove in a run for Crescenta Valley.
Crescenta Valley received a run-scoring double from Wang to extend the lead to 4-0 in the second and Michael Russo drove in a run with a single to raise the lead to 5-0. Burbank got a run-scoring infield single with two outs from third baseman Michael Wong in its half of the third to slice the deficit to 5-1.
“The more times they play together, the better they play,” Crescenta Valley Coach Phil Torres said. “They haven’t played that much together.
“But, it’s going to come down to pitching. If we throw strikes, then it gives us a chance.”
Boeke went the distance on the mound for Crescenta Valley. Boeke, a right-hander, struck out nine. He struck out two in the first, second, third and fifth.
Crescenta Valley scored six runs in the fourth, highlighted by a two-run single from Ryan Whisanet that gave Crescenta Valley an 11-1 lead. Wang hit a lead-off home run in the fifth to make it 12-1.
