Erik Boal
Even after handing the Crescenta Valley High baseball team its worst
home loss in Coach Phil Torres' seven-year career, Arcadia's Mike
Parisi still managed to pull off his best Lou Holtz impression
Friday night at Stengel Field.
"We're just as shocked as they are by the way we played them,"
said Parisi after his Apaches dismantled the Falcons, 11-0, in a
Pacific League game that was called after five innings because of the
10-run mercy rule.
"We're not a better team than them. They have way better players
than we do."
*--*
BOX SCORE
*--*
*--*
Arcadia 2 1 5 2 1 -- 11 9 0
Cres. Valley 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0 2 0
*--*
*--*
Arcadia IP H R ER BB K
Bruyninckx 5 2 0 0 1 8
*--*
*--*
Cres. Valley IP H R ER BB K
Rousey 2 5 6 6 1 2
Schaller 2 4 4 4 3 1
McGuinness 1 0 1 1 1 2
Totals 5 9 11 11 5 5
*--*
*--*
* Game called because of 10-run mercy rule
*--*
*--*
WP-- Bruyninckx (6-2)
LP-- Rousey (5-1)
2B: A-Feliciano
HR: A-Feliciano (3), Miller (2)
SB: A-Anderson, Spata
*--*
Perhaps. But for the second time in three weeks, Arcadia
right-hander Nolan Bruyninckx made a major case for why he is the
most dominant player in the league, limiting a CV lineup that entered
the game with a combined .330 batting average to just two singles,
both by Aaron McGuinness.
Bruyninckx (6-2) also struck out eight -- improving his season
total to 71 in 46 2/3 innings -- and allowed only one runner to get
past first base, lowering his earned run average to 0.60.
But those numbers only began to describe exactly how much Arcadia
(13-3, 6-0 in league) overmatched CV (11-4, 4-2), resulting in the
Apaches' fourth straight victory against their rival and only the
third mercy-rule loss suffered by Torres in his tenure, including
setbacks to Westlake and Adolfo Camarillo in 2000.
"If there's one thing we showed [Friday], it's that we have a lot
of heart and a lot of character," said Parisi, whose squad -- which
entered the game with a .285 batting average -- collected nine hits,
including a two-out, two-run homer by Richard Feliciano (three hits,
four runs batted in) in the first and a two-out grand slam by Eddie
Miller in the third.
"I respect those guys so much and [even with the lopsided margin]
they're still a solid ball club.
"That's why I wouldn't be surprised if the last game [May 16 at
Arcadia] still decides the Pacific League title."
Torres isn't conceding the league championship to Arcadia just
yet, but with the Apaches leading by two games with nine to play, he
knows his Falcons face an uphill battle.
"[Nolan] is a dominant pitcher and we've got eight games to
figure out how to beat him," said Torres, whose squad had his
six-game winning streak snapped on a night where the proceeds from
the 50/50 raffle went to the John Barbaro Memorial Scholarship Fund.
"We just need to keep working hard and hopefully we'll get a
chance to play for a league title [on May 16].
"But they're a much better team than we are right now and they've
proved it in 12 innings."
