By Seth AMITIN

The Crescenta Valley High softball team used the long ball to take it to Hoover, crushing three home runs en route to a 9-0 win over the Tornadoes on Monday.

Sydney House started the game off with a two-run home run in the first inning.
“It was a good pitch,” said House of the pitch she hit over the center field wall. “I wanted to get the team started today.”
And she did just that. The Falcons (14-5, 8-2 in Pacific League play) scored three runs in the first, three in the sixth and one run each in the second, fourth and fifth innings.
Alyssa Sovereign and Kelly Bako each added a home run in the later innings. Sovereign went 3 for 3 with a walk on the day. She had three RBIs.
Falcons pitcher Erin Ashby threw six shutout innings, allowing only one hit. She also went 3 for 4 on the day with two doubles and three runs scored.
“Everyone pulled through today,” said Ashby. “We executed when we needed to.”
Senior Beranna Klein relieved Ashby in the seventh and got the final three outs.
Ashby said she wasn’t aware of her performance.
“I don’t pay attention to [how many strikeouts I have] when I’m on the mound,” said Ashby.
She struck out 11, her third-highest strikeout total in a game behind her 12-strikeout performance against Pasadena on April 20 and another 12-strikeout game against Hoover on March 30.
For the season, Ashby has pitched 92 innings. In those innings, she’s struck out 111, walked only 18 and allowed two home runs.
“Erin is a good pitcher,” said House.  “She never disappoints.”
She also leads the team in batting average (.614).
They’ll need her this week as the Falcons face the two teams that gave them their league losses: Burroughs and Burbank.
Crescenta Valley visited Burroughs late Wednesday, past the newspaper’s deadline.   Burroughs (11-8, 8-0) beat the Falcons on March 23, 2-0, giving the Falcons with their first league loss since the 2007 season. That year, Arcadia beat the Falcons, 2-0, in a late March game.
CV then hosts Burbank on Tuesday, their second to last game of the season.  Burbank (15-7, 9-1) edged the Falcons, 8-7, on April 1 in an epic 10-inning game that ended when CV scored one run in the top of the 10th and the Bulldogs scored two in the bottom half.
Ashby pitched all 10 innings for the Falcons in that game and will be the likely starter in the coming match.
Burbank’s offense has been one of the keys to their success, averaging at least two extra base hits per game. Crescenta Valley brings more fire power, though, with a higher batting average (.411 to Burbank’s .332) and averaging 2.5 extra base hits per game.
“We played a good game against Burroughs last time,” said CV Head Coach Dan Berry. “We didn’t think we were going to lose the first time we played [either of] them.”
“If we all come together and play as one, we can win,” House said. “We know we’re good enough.”