Falcons Beat Burbank, Upset Burroughs to Revenge Previous Losses
By Timithie NORMAN

While the Crescenta Valley girls’ softball team won both Friday’s home game against Burbank and Tuesday’s match on the road against Burroughs by a margin of three runs, that’s where the similarities between the two games end.

On Friday, four crucial errors on Burbank’s part allowed the Falcons to take advantage at the plate, where they scored on three of the fielding blunders for a 6-3 win. At Tuesday’s game, Crescenta Valley had 10 hits for 7-4 win, despite Burroughs’ effort to stifle swinger Hannah Cookson by walking two of her four at-bats.

Regardless of how it happened, the Falcons won both match-ups to revenge their only two losses and improve their league record to 8-2, handing Pacific League leader Burroughs (9-1) their only loss for the season and gaining the potential to share the league title.

“Obviously it’s a big game, but we have to win them all to stay in the hunt,” said Falcon Head Coach Mark Samford. “This is just one of them.”

Crescenta Valley’s Allison Lacey scored first on a pop fly by junior Jessica Morena after a single by Cookson and a Burroughs error put players on first and third. Burroughs evened the score in the bottom of the first and after a scoreless second inning, the Falcons pulled ahead 3-1 with a triple by Lacey and double from Morena to run home Cookson and Lacey.

While the Falcons looked good at the plate, their fielding was what clinched the win. Two double plays and another six caught pop flies kept Burroughs struggling to get in position to score. Sophomore pitcher Olivia Thayer kept the Indians to just four runs with four strike-outs.

“Our pitcher and catcher [Morena] really made it happen this game,” Sanford said.

The Falcons led throughout, but a four-run seventh inning buried Burroughs. Errors combined with a double by Lacey, single from sophomore Taylor Hill and single from sophomore Whitney Craig helped the Falcons pull ahead 7-2 going into Burroughs’ final at-bat.

“I’m glad we are back to our winning streak,” Thayer said. “Everyone does their part, and we just need to keep up the energy.”

At Friday’s game, a solid performance on the mound from Thayer and a handful of errors on Burbank’s part made for a Falcon 6-3 victory.

Crescenta Valley took the lead in the first inning when freshman Tiffany Briscoe singled to run in Cookson. Burbank evened things up in the second, but the Falcons really pulled ahead in the third inning when they scored three runs on two Bulldog errors, with another run batted in by Craig. At the top of the fourth, the Falcons had gained a 5-2 lead.

Thayer allowed just four hits, and more importantly, kept Burbank from capitalizing on a bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning.

“I was just thinking, I have to get this out,” Thayer said. “I’m glad we are back to our winning streak.”

Crescenta Valley scored one last run in the sixth inning after Briscoe doubled and a Burbank error on Hill’s bunt brought home designated runner Elena Leon.

The Falcons host Glendale High (1-5) on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

  Timithie NORMAN