Sports

Falcons Getting it Done at the Plate in Hot Start

Crescenta Valley softball team has scored 72 run in 6-1 start.

It was a subtle rule change, moving the pitcher’s circle back three extra feet, but it’s made a world of a difference for the Crescenta Valley softball team.

In jumping out to a 6-1 record, the Falcons have scored 72 runs (an average of just over 10 per game) and have failed to score fewer than seven runs in a single contest. Compare that to last season when they only scored 35 runs in their first seven games and began the year 4-3.

“Moving the mound back will affect the score,” Crescenta Valley coach Dan Berry said. “You get a little more time to see (the ball). You get a good look at it.”

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Berry said he’s a purist and wasn’t originally in favor of the rule that moved the circle from 40 feet from home plate to 43, which is the same distance used at the NCAA level.

But it’s tough to argue with the results the Falcon hitters are enjoying on the diamond. Crescenta Valley is hitting .415 as a team, and of the eight players that have appeared in all seven games, four are hitting at least .500.

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Senior shortstop and pitcher Erin Ashby is batting a scorching .593 at the plate (16-for-27) and is tied for the team-lead with five home runs.  Freshman outfielder Hannah Cookson boasts a .538 batting average (14-for-26) and also has five home runs, while senior first baseman Sydney House is hitting .500 (11-for-22) with two home runs. Sophomore Jessica Morena also is hitting .500 (9-for-18) with 10 runs scored.

“They can hit and compete,” Berry said. “We thought (our hitting) would be (strong) based on what we had in Erin and Sydney. We knew that we had the offense from last year.”

The Falcons recently competed in the High Desert Tournament, where they compiled a 2-1 record. Crescenta Valley dropped the first game of the tournament on Friday at Serrano by a score of 8-7, but then responded with wins over Lancaster and Harvard-Westlake. The Falcons’ loss at Serrano was their first of the year, but Berry said he was pleased with how his team battled on a cold and windy day.

“Cold day, wind blowing, and we were on the short end of that draw. The thing is we competed,” Berry said. “70 mph winds, and you have no idea where the ball is going.”

The Falcons were scheduled to play Paraclete on Monday in the tournament’s consolation bracket championship game, but the game was postponed because of bad weather. Berry said there has not been a date chosen for the makeup game.

The Falcons begin Pacific League play Tuesday with a home game against Muir. They will then travel to Hoover for a 3:30 p.m. contest on Thursday, before playing in the competitive Savanna Tournament this weekend. Crescenta Valley opens play against Sunny Hills on Saturday.

“It’s always tough,” Berry said of the tournament. “You’ve got the Fullertons, you’ve got the Sunny Hills, it’s the Savannas. It’s the hotbed of Orange County softball.”


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