Muir is late to the game, but it only delays the inevitable as the Falcons roll.
Tanner Carrico held Muir to two hits over four innings.
By Brandon HENSLEY
After a Pacific League opening loss to the Pasadena Bulldogs, the Crescenta Valley High School baseball team has turned things around quite nicely. There’s still more than half the league schedule to play still, but the Falcons find themselves in a good place both in the standings and mentally and emotionally.
Crescenta Valley won its fourth straight league game Tuesday night against Muir at Stengel Field, a 10-0 victory that was called after five innings when CV’s Bryan Wang singled in Ryan Lynch for the 10th run in the bottom of that frame.
Wang, the team’s leadoff hitter, went three-for-three with a walk and a run batted in. The Falcons (11-7, 4-1 in league) scored five runs on four hits in the third inning off Mustang pitcher David Madrid, which included a two-run base hit by third baseman Joe Torres.
Madrid was pitching well up until that point. He also struggled in the fourth inning, when he hit a batter, and gave up a single to Wang and a triple to Adrian Damla. He did not record an out in the fourth and was replaced by reliever Oscar Madrid, whose first pitch of the game was hammered over the right field fence by left-handed power hitter Michael Russo for a two-run home run to make it 9-0.
The bus that drove Muir to Stengel Field didn’t arrive until 5:55 p.m., just short of the scheduled 6 p.m. start time. It wasn’t until almost 30 minutes later that the Mustangs (1-11, 0-5 in league) were ready to play.
The late start didn’t affect Falcons’ starting pitcher Tanner Carrico, who held Muir to two hits over four innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. Torres came on in relief in the fifth and pitched a perfect inning.
“It did not,” Carrico said if Muir’s late arrival threw him off. “I did what I normally do.”
He said his grip was a little tight in the first inning, when he gave up a single and also had a wild pitch, but he settled down after that.
“I don’t throw the hardest,” he said, “but I’m usually able to hit my spots better than most. I feel like that’s really effective, too.”
Carrico has certainly been effective this season. He threw a no-hitter on March 19 in the Babe Herman Tournament.
“That game, everything was all on target. I hit all my spots. I don’t recall missing a spot that game.”
After the Pasadena loss on April 1, a 3-0 defeat, the Falcons have outscored their opponents 22-2 in their four victories. Carrico said there was a team meeting after the opening loss, and players, led by the senior Wang, made it known guys needed to play together and take things more seriously.
“Everybody threw out really encouraging words, and that’s been the turnaround,” Carrico said. “Everybody’s been taking it a lot more seriously.”
The Falcons are tied with Arcadia for second place in league, behind Pasadena, which is 5-0. CV hosts Hoover High School on Friday at Stengel Field at 7 p.m.
A True Web Gem
The Falcons baseball website has undergone construction this season, and it is definitely worth checking out. Drew Arredondo, father to freshman player Nico, redesigned the site, which can be found by going to cvhsfalcons.com and scrolling over the “Athletics” link.
The site contains full rosters for all teams, complete schedules and results, and a home page that highlights recent games with a brief recap and several photos, also taken by Arredondo. The graphics aren’t shabby, either, with a slick banner and photos of Falcons players on top and the side.
Softball Update
The CV softball team beat Muir 32-0 on Tuesday. They are 8-6 overall and 3-2 in the Pacific League.
The Falcons lost last week to Burbank, which is 5-0 in league. The Bulldogs’ Kaitlin Brooks went three-for-three with an RBI. Pitcher Caitlyn Brooks pitched a 2-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts. She also added a RBI double at the plate.
The Falcons travel to Hoover on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
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