Pitcher

GLENDALE - The Crescenta Valley Junior All-Star softball team still wasn't hitting up to its potential to start the Southern California State Championships Tournament, by the squad's own admission, Saturday morning. It didn't really matter in terms of results, though, as Crescenta Valley's pitchers carried the weight. Three pitchers combined to toss a no-hitter against Reid Park of Riverside for a 5-1 win in the first round of the Southern California State Tournament at Ribbons Little League Field in Victorville on Saturday.

MONTROSE — It was painful enough for Jason Chang while he recovered from a non-related baseball injury that caused him to miss the first half of the season. The Crescenta Valley Major All-Star baseball player suffered the setback in January and needed several months for his broken left wrist to heal. Now, he's back at full strength and showing no signs of the injury nagging him. Chang came through with a career-type performance Wednesday night, as he hit two home runs and drove in seven runs to spark Crescenta Valley to a 17-1 victory against Tujunga in the District 16 championship game at Montrose Park.

MONTROSE — Once the ball was hit to deep left field, Crescenta Valley Repipe Minor Baseball pitcher Chris Wood saw his instincts kick in and made a dash behind third base just in case a play needed to be made. Wood's alertness — followed by an accurate throw — paid off in a big way and kept Repipe's season going. Wood threw out the tying run at home plate after backing up an overthrow in the bottom of the sixth inning to help Repipe scratch out an 8-7 victory against Crescenta Valley Construction 911 in a Tri-Cities District 16 Tournament of Champions contest at Montrose Park.

GLENDALE — For some insight into how the Flintridge Prep softball team was able to capture its first Prep League championship in more than 15 years this season, one need look no further than the recently released all-league selections. The six Rebels honored in the voting conducted by the league's coaches, including Prep League Most Valuable Pitcher Denise van der Goot and Prep League Most Valuable Player Abby Deckop, were the chief catalysts in Prep's rise to a 10-2 league mark that was good for a shared title with Mayfield and propelled the squad to a home opener in the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.

GLENDALE — Though Crescenta Valley High and Burroughs shared the Pacific League softball title this past season, once more it was Falcons standout Erin Ashby that stood alone as the league’s most valuable player. Not since Arcadia’s Jenna Rodriguez in 2007 had a player won consecutive Pacific League MVPs and not since Crescenta Valley’s Meredith Cervenka in 2001 had a player won consecutive outright MVPs in the league. Thus, the Stanford-bound Ashby left an indelible mark on Crescenta Valley and the Pacific League.

GLENDALE — Rim of the World High, host of today's CIF Southern Section Division VI second-round softball playoff game against Flintridge Prep at 3:15 p.m., may enjoy a home-field advantage more imposing than most. In having to meet the Scots on their home turf, the Rebels will not only have to travel roughly 80 miles by bus, but will spend the final 20 weaving through a two-lane mountain road on a vertical climb to the mouth of Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains. "Road trips aren't bad, but going up a mountain is never something you want to be doing right before a softball game," said Prep Coach Julie Jaime, whose team (14-4)

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — After remaining a swing or two away from evening things up for most of the game and confident that the 7-1 final score doesn't quite tell the complete story of Friday afternoon's loss to Cypress College in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. regional playoffs, the members of the Glendale Community College baseball team are ready to close the book on an underwhelming postseason opener. The Vaqueros could never get much going against Cypress College pitcher Tommy Nance during what remained a pitchers' duel for eight compelling innings before, to cap off the frustrating afternoon, they surrendered five runs in the top of the ninth inning to scuttle their own chances of an 11th-hour rally.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — The tone was set in the first inning. In 12 pitches, Crescenta Valley High starting pitcher Elliot Surrey struck out the side. In 17 pitches in the second inning, he fanned two Glendale High batters. From there, three Falcons pitchers — Surrey, Troy Mulcahey and Cole Currie — amazed the few dozen fans that were in attendance. From the third inning to the end of the game, each Nitro out came via a strikeout, as the trio stuck out 20 Nitros in an 8-2 Pacific League victory Wednesday at Stengel Field.

GLENDALE — The following are updates on area Major League Baseball players. Brandon McCarthy (Glendale native) starting pitcher, Oakland Athletics: McCarthy continues to justify being handed a rotation spot by the Athletics in spring training with a strong start to the year, his first in Oakland. He has two quality starts in three appearances and has yet to take a loss, although his last outing was spoiled by a lack of support from the Athletics' bullpen. McCarthy saw a potential win go up in smoke on Friday when he pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Detroit Tigers at home and left the game with a 1-0 lead after having allowed six hits and striking out seven to just one walk.

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — It took a few innings for Hoover High pitcher Cameron Doran to adjust to the high mound on a warm afternoon Doran didn't appear comfortable at first when he and the Tornadoes competed against cross-town rival Glendale in a Pacific League contest Friday. However, Doran couldn't have written a better script in terms of finishing on a positive note to get the best of the Nitros. Doran struck out 11 and allowed three hits in a 125-pitch effort to power visiting Hoover to a 5-3 victory against Glendale.