CV Little League Junior Softball All-Stars Back in the Hunt with 5-0 Shutout Victory Over Alhambra

Crescenta Valley Little League Junior Softball All-Stars pitcher Kylee Heurkins helped her team with quite an effort last Saturday.

After only pitching two innings in the first game of the first round, Heurkins stepped up when called on and threw a three-hit gem to shut out the Alhambra squad in a second chance bracket contest.

Add to that five strikeouts and only two base on balls and the rest seemed to work just fine for Heurkins.

The CV Little League defenders stepped up and played an error- free game, making a number of dazzling plays in support of their pitcher.

Anna Edwards added two assists and two put outs at third base, while Whitney Cowell chipped in four assists and one put out of her own. The CV outfield made a number of big catches to stop any momentum the Alhambra team started.

The CV offense picked it up after a tough game the previous night, and put the Alhambra defense on notice with 10 hits. Brittanie Johnson and Danielle Matosian each had two hits with singles provided by Edwards, Nicole Salas, Heurkins, Jamie Nakawatase, Hana Bracht and Ashley Zika.

Last Friday, the CV squad stumbled in a close one as Palmdale shut out the All-Stars, 2-0.

After giving up two unearned runs in the first inning, the CV squad settled down and played the tough Palmdale team even for the final six Innings.

Hurler Zika continued her stellar pitching by battling the whole game and giving up only six hits and not allowing any earned runs. The CV defense settled down and provided Zika with great support, but the offense struggled to get runs on the board as it stranded seven runners.

Behind another strong pitching performance by Zika, the All-Stars scored a come-from-behind 4-2 victory over the Arcadia Junior Softball All-Stars on July 19.

Playing at Monte Vista Little League Field in Lancaster, the CV squad rebounded from a 2-0 deficit to score one run in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth to take the nail biter.

Jamie Nakawatase played a solid shortstop behind Zika, making two key assists, and catcher Johnson gunned down two runners at second to stop the Arcadia momentum.

Zika has been outstanding, pitching in all four contests to this point with three of them being complete game performances.

Against Arcadia, Zita gave up four hits, walked none and struck out 15. Through four games, Zita has pitched 25 innings, striking out 47, walking 12, giving up 12 hits and allowing only four runs while on the mound.

Offensively, the potent CV bats were held in check by a tough Arcadia pitcher, who although didn’t throw with great velocity, did move the ball around and controlled the strike zone.

Bracht got the CV squad going in the fifth with a single to center and coming around to score from third on a questionable infield fly call.

With the ball hit into short left field the umpire called an infield fly that neither team heard. The ensuing confusion derailed the CV momentum.

In the sixth inning, and still behind 2-1, CV’s Matosian worked a one-out walk. He took third on an error by the Arcadia first baseman that put Jamie Nakawatase at second base. Briana Nakawatase came to the plate and stroked a single to left center that scored Matosian and evened the score.

Jamie Nakawatase scored on a fielder’s choice, and Briana Nakawatase came around and scored on an error by the Arcadia shortstop for the fourth and final run of the contest.

Singles were also added by Heurkins, Flanna Borgeson-Leak, Jamie Nakawatase, and Johnson.

“This is a tough field to adjust to”, said CV Coach Martin Johnson. “We were out here as 10-year-olds, the wind blows in, the grass grabs the ball, and from home to first looks like the girls are running up hill. We were fortunate to get out of this one with the win. Arcadia’s a talented squad.”