Falcons keep first-place pace

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — They admitted that they thought about it.

They said that they thought about the fact that they were essentially in a tie for first place in the Pacific League.

They noted that they thought about the final game of the regular season in which they might play in a winner-take-all championship game against their rival.

But they also knew that in order to play for the title, they had to take it “one game at a time.”

The members of the Crescenta Valley High baseball team knew the news that previously league-unbeaten Arcadia was upset on Wednesday, giving the Falcons and Apaches each one loss in league.

The Falcons weren’t about to get upset Thursday against Burroughs at Stengel Field.

Behind a strong pitching outing from three hurlers and an offense that put the score out of reach with four runs in the fourth, the Falcons defeated the Indians, 7-0.

“[Arcadia’s 3-0 loss to Burbank] was definitely in the back of our minds, but it’s more important to come out and play the game we’re supposed to play,” said CV’s third baseman Ted Boeke, who drove in a run and scored in the sixth. “We have to keep playing and do what we do best — win.”

The win improved CV’s record to 17-6, 9-1 in league. Arcadia is 19-4, 10-1, with a win against the Falcons on April 20.

The Falcons have three games remaining – including a meeting against Glendale at 7 p.m. today at Stengel Field – before facing the Apaches on May 11.

“We have to take it one game at a time,” Falcon shortstop Cole Currie said. “We still don’t think we’re playing our best.”

The Falcons weren’t at their best in the first three innings of Thursday’s contest.

They led, 1-0, at the end of the third, but they left runners on first and second in the second inning and left the bases loaded in the third.

“We haven’t played in five days,” Falcon Coach Phil Torres said. “We finally got to play. We played like we sat around for two days.”

Burroughs (9-13, 6-5) had its chances to tie the score early, but it was 0 for eight with a runner on base through the first four innings, leaving an Indian in scoring position in each frame.

“Offensively, it has been the story of our season,” Burroughs Coach Kiel Holmes said. “We’ve been getting guys on and been waiting for that one hit, but we haven’t been able to get there.”

The Falcons capitalized on their chances in the bottom of the fourth. Kyle Murray, Elliot Surrey, Troy Mulcahey and Bryan Wang each scored in the inning, as CV used two hits, two walks and a hit batsman to take a 5-0 lead, taking advantage of the Indians’ control issues on the mound. Three Burroughs pitchers combined to throw 136 pitches with just 66 for strikes.

In contrast, Murray, Surrey and Mulcahey, CV’s three pitchers, threw 95 pitches, limiting the Indians to two hits. From the end of the fourth to the beginning of the seventh, the pitchers combined to retire 10 straight.

Said Currie: “We know those guys are going to keep us in the game.”