CV knocked from CIF playoffs

YUCAIPA — Faced with the daunting assignment of taking on second-seeded Yucaipa, Crescenta Valley High’s baseball team was already a considerable underdog in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Add on the fact that the Falcons had traveled 340 miles round-trip for their wild-card game two days earlier and were faced with another lengthy road trip, which didn’t help matters. Couple it with the Falcons arriving late, which pushed the game-start time back 50 minutes because their bus broke down, and it only seemed to stack the deck even more.

To the Falcons’ credit, they threw everything they had at a bigger, stronger, faster Thunderbirds squad, but it simply wasn’t enough, as Crescenta Valley fell to host Yucaipa, 15-7.

“We haven’t seen anybody like that,” said Falcons Coach Phil Torres of the Thunderbirds, who are ranked eighth in the state by MaxPreps.com. “I dare you to find another high school team that hits like that.”

Yucaipa (26-2) — which is having its win protested by Crescenta Valley after an ejected player was later seen watching the game nearby — won its 10th straight game and ended Thursday averaging nearly 11 runs a contest.

“We’ve been swinging pretty strong bats all year long,” said Yucaipa Coach Jeff Stout, whose team pounded out 18 hits, including six for extra bases. “That’s been our forte.”

Crescenta Valley, which ended the year at 17-10, had four pitchers take the hill in the hopes of quelling Yucaipa, including Jake Lehne and Sean Elliott, who both pitched in Tuesday’s 5-4 win at Righetti.

“It’s tough, 24 hours rest and those two right-handers gave me all they had,” said Torres of Elliott, who tossed four innings for the win Tuesday, and Lehne, who threw three innings for the save. “ Those friggin’ guys hit.”

Crescenta Valley did its share offensively, as well.

Freshman shortstop Nate Rousey singled on the first pitch of the game, as the Falcons totaled eight hits to go with four walks.

Things started well enough for CV, as senior Joe Sedano reached base on catcher’s interference with one out later in the first. Troy Mulcahey’s single loaded the bases and a Troy Prasertsit sacrifice fly scored Rousey, giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead.

But the Thunderbirds answered emphatically.