Junior stars set for SoCal tourney
GLENDALE — It seems as though it was just that easy for the Crescenta Valley Junior Softball All-Stars, as they flat out shut down the opposition in three games of pitching dominance in the Section 2 Tournament.
The latest display came as Olivia Thayer, Adela Alatraca and Kellyn O’Leary combined for a three-hit shutout to stymie San Marino, 6-0, and claim the Section 2 title at the Monte Vista Little League in Lancaster on Tuesday night.
“It was another great pitching night,” said Crescenta Valley Coach Will Thayer, whose team allowed just three runs and seven hits over three tournament victories.
CV scored the only run it would need in the third before adding two in the fifth and three in the sixth to seal the win and another trip north, as it will move on to the Southern California State Championships at Ribbons Little League in Victorville. It will begin the tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Thayer got the start in the circle, pitching the first three innings, before Alatraca pitched the fourth and O’Leary closed out the tournament.
“It was a pretty easy tournament for us,” Olivia Thayer said.
Against San Marino, Crescenta Valley tallied just five hits, but it was more than enough behind the team’s pitching.
“It was some great base running, bunting, we just sort of manufactured,” Coach Thayer said. “Basically, the pitching took over.”
In the bottom of the third, Jessica Madeira reached on an error, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and then came across on a Claire O’Connor RBI grounder.
The lead bulged to 3-0 when Paige Trestrail and Madeira notched back-to-back singles in the bottom of the fifth and scored on RBI groundouts from O’Connor and Alatraca.
With CV holding a sizeable lead, O’Leary closed the door.
“She pitched really well,” Will Thayer said. “She shut it all down.”
For good measure, though, Crescenta Valley posted three runs against a San Marino reliever, as Madeira reached on an error, Marissa Cornelius had an RBI single, Tiffany Briscoe reached on an error, as did Cameron Rodriguez, and Tyler Hill notched an RBI single.
The win culminated a 3-0 run through the tournament for CV, which opened with a 6-3 win over Canyon Country before posting 3-0 and 6-0 shutouts against San Marino.
After a rather easy title game, Thayer said he’ll have his team out on the practice field over the next few days gearing up for Saturday’s state opener.
“We need to sharpen up,” he said.