By Justin HAGER

Thus far the Crescenta Valley High School varsity baseball Cinderella season has been defined by high-flying offensive production. The Falcons have scored more runs than any other team in the Pacific League. As a result, the team beat the vaunted La Cañada Spartans, are currently undefeated in League play and sit a top the Pacific League standings in a three-way tie with Burbank and Arcadia. Unfortunately, they have also allowed nearly twice as many runs to be scored as either Burbank or Arcadia. Some of those numbers can be attributed to the Falcons’ fever-paced non-League schedule, which has seen the team play more games than any other team in the League, including games against highly-ranked opponents like San Dimas and Sierra Canyon, which scored seven and eight runs against the Falcons, respectively.

However, entering this week’s play, two truths now seem inevitable: CVHS is headed for a clash of the titans as they close out their 2021 regular season campaign with two games each against Arcadia and Burbank; and the Falcons’ victories in those games will depend not only on their ability to continue producing at a high level, but also on their ability to limit their opponents’ scoring opportunities.

This week, the Falcons demonstrated that ability after holding Burroughs, a team that had won three games in a row, averaging more than seven runs per game during that stretch, and more than five runs per game throughout the season, to only two runs total. With oft-starting pitcher Noah Maddox still injured, the Falcons turned to Senior Brendon Pehar who recorded five and two-thirds innings with only 74 pitches and two runs allowed. He was supported by another scoreless save outing by sophomore Connor Campbell and outstanding defensive play across the field, including an outstanding catch by Emilio Velis that nearly sent him into the dugout, excellent hand and footwork from third baseman Jacob Deno and shortstop Nico Terenzi, a full-speed sprinting catch from right fielder Matt Ruf to track down a line drive on the first base line, and one of the best stretch-and-scoops from first baseman Luca Cuneo that this writer has ever seen. The result was a disappointed Burroughs team that, despite six hits and only four strikeouts, couldn’t find an offensive rhythm, scored only two runs and left six stranded on base.

As for the Falcons’ offense, it took them a while to find their own rhythm, but a pair of errors in the third and fourth innings and a set of line drives straight up the middle by Terenzi, Cuneo and Rowan Respicio gave them the opening they needed to start scoring and once they got started they could not be stopped.

In his typical team-first fashion, Pehar hit a textbook RBI sacrifice fly and RJ DeLeon put the final nail in the coffin with a slicing opposite-field line drive in the fifth, sealing the game for the Falcons and finishing 2-for-3, with a questionable interference call being the only blemish on his batting for the night.

All told CVHS had eight hits and scored six runs, with only one error. They play Burroughs again on Friday.