Edgar Melik-Stepanyan
The following is a recap of the area's youth baseball and softball
games in Section 2 and District 16 tournaments.
Section 2
Major Softball
Crescenta Valley 22, Arcadia 3: It's not the shoes that do the
trick. And it's not the bats that have helped Crescenta Valley crush
some of its opponents in postseason competition.
"It's the French braids in our hairs," joked Crescenta Valley
outfielder Maddie Polizzotto.
Whatever Crescenta Valley's recipe for success is, it's working.
Crescenta Valley tagged Arcadia for 19 hits on Sunday in the
winner's-bracket final of the Section 2 Tournament at San Marino
Little League Field to advance to the championship game at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday. Coach Bill Ashby's team will meet South Pasadena or Arcadia
in the final. An if-necessary championship game would be played on
Wednesday at the same site.
Erin Ashby and Anna Edwards each had four runs Sunday to lead
Crescenta Valley. C.J. Nicodemus and CeCe Martinez scored three runs
apiece, as every one of Crescenta Valley's 10 players scored at least
once.
Crescenta Valley scored five times in the first inning, once in
the second, nine times in the third and added seven runs in the
fourth, as it sent 42 batters to the plate to Arcadia's 17.
"We found out if we just put the ball in play, we're going to do
fine," Erin Ashby said.
Added Martinez: "We all believed in each other and in ourselves."
Maria Leon and Megan Siepler had two runs each, and Katie Rinder,
Nikki Salas, Delaney Gay and Polizzotto each had one run.
Crescenta Valley 10, South Pasadena 8: Down to its last strike and
trailing by two without a runner on base, Crescenta Valley rallied
for four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to come away with a
Section 2 Tournament triumph Saturday at San Marino Little League
Field.
Anna Edwards started the comeback with a single, and Katie Rinder
was walked on five pitches to put runners at first and second. Maria
Leon was walked to load the bases, bringing up C.J. Nicodemus.
Nicodemus lined a single that scored Edwards and Rinder, and Leon
scored on an overthrow. Maddie Polizzotto's single scored Nicodemus
for the final run.
CeCe Martinez scored twice, as did Nikki Salas for Crescenta
Valley, which also received a run from Erin Ashby.
Crescenta Valley 21, Canyon Country Canyon 2: Coach Bill Ashby's
team opened the Section 2 Tournament on Friday at San Marino Little
League Field with an easy victory.
Crescenta Valley's Erin Ashby and CeCe Martinez combined for nine
