Sports Briefs

Softball team wins home tournament

The La Cañada 12-and-under softball team kept rolling this weekend, as it won the district championships hosted in La Cañada over the Fourth of July weekend.

The event was hosted by the La Cañada Junior Baseball and Softball Assn.

The team won four straight games to advance to the Western District championship game against Fillmore on Sunday morning. La Cañada came out on top in five innings, 12-1.

Taking first place in the tournament qualified the squad for the American Softball Assn. California State Games in Camarillo July 16-18. The tournament will have the locals competing against the best teams in California.

Cobras capture baseball event

The San Gabriel Cobras, with players from La Cañada and Crescenta Valley, won the annual Invitational Tournament in the 9-and-under division last weekend.

Encino Little League hosted the tournament.

During the 12-team tournament, the Cobras defeated teams from Encino, West L.A., the San Fernando Valley and Culver City. They beat the Moorpark All-Stars in the championship game, 7-3.

An additional weekend highlight for the Cobras was having former USC football and baseball star Rodney Peete serving as the public address announcer during the Cobras’ semifinal win against Culver City.

The Cobras are Matt Odom, Brandon Jimenez, Ernest Williams, Blake Hardy, Max Blessinger, Ryan Graves, Erik Zimmerman, Andrew Nomoto, Hayden Byrnes and Conner Buchanan. The manager is Dan Blessinger, and the coaches are Rick Graves and Bret Hardy.