Sports
Plenty still at stake in Pacific
Baseball: With two games left this week, Crescenta Valley and Hoover still scrambling for positioning in league.
By Dylan Kruse
GLENDALE — With the Pacific League baseball season winding down and the top four teams in the standings having already locked up playoff spots, the race for the league championship is just beginning to heat up.
Archrivals Crescenta Valley (16-5, 10-2 in league) and Arcadia (14-9, 10-2) enter play today tied for first place with a showdown between the two clubs looming at 7 p.m. Friday at Stengel Field.
Before either team can focus on Friday’s clash, both squads must first get through today.
Crescenta Valley, which won the Pacific League title last season, will host a Hoover squad tied for third with Burroughs at 7 p.m. at Stengel Field. Arcadia will meet last-place Muir.
“As cliché as it sounds, one game at a time,” Crescenta Valley shortstop Kris Kauppila said of the Falcons’ approach this week. “Hoover’s a good team, too. We have to get past Tuesday and then the fun is on Friday.”
Hoover (12-7, 8-4) sewed up a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs thanks to a complete-game gem from Oscar Aguirre in a 5-0 road victory against Burbank on Friday.
The Tornadoes, who missed the postseason last year, are looking to close out the week with two wins and finish in sole possession of third place or in a possible second-place tie.
Their challenge tonight will be keeping a potent Crescenta Valley attack in check.
The Falcons, who were one-hit in a 6-2 loss to Burroughs on April 29, broke out of a mini offensive slump on Saturday with a 7-2 nonleague home win against St. Francis.
The Falcons are quick to realize that they need to maintain their focus throughout the whole week.
“If we tend to look ahead, then our offense tends to struggle and our focus tends to go other places,” Falcon pitcher Sean Elliott said. “We just need to stay focused and work on what we need to work on.”
Veteran Hoover Coach Jim Delzell said the Tornadoes are relieved to have already wrapped up a playoff spot, but must be up to the task at hand against Crescenta Valley and Glendale.
“It makes it a little more interesting and fun playing CV and Glendale,” Delzell said. “CV’s got big games, and you can throw out the records when you play Glendale.
“It’s been kind of a strange season [in league]. After a couple of teams, anybody is capable of beating anybody. We don’t have a chance to win league, and even though we’ve clinched a playoff spot, we can’t afford to let up. I told them that [Monday].”
Also this week, Glendale will be trying to end its season on a positive note. The Nitros (5-16, 3-9) have been eliminated from postseason contention, but will be looking to topple Burbank today and cross-town rival Hoover on Friday.
But the biggest event this week likely will be the Crescenta Valley-Arcadia showdown on Friday.
The last time the Falcons and Apaches squared off, aces Bryce Rutherford and Travis Feldman engaged in an intense pitcher’s duel April 4.
Feldman and the Falcons held on to pick up a huge 2-0 road victory.
Since then, Crescenta Valley has gone 7-2, while Arcadia went on a 7-3 run, including winning its last four.
There’s an intensity level whenever the Falcons and Apaches meet. With a league championship on the line, emotions will likely be even higher.
And that’s just how the Falcons want it to be.
“All the seniors are excited, last game at Stengel and playing Arcadia for the championship,” Elliott said. “It will be a fun week.”
Added third baseman Lonnie Kauppila: “Since they are our rival, it makes everything 10 times better. It’s going to be a huge crowd. It’s going to be intense.”
— Charles Rich contributed to this story.
DYLAN KRUSE covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3252 or dylan.kruse@latimes.com.
Archrivals Crescenta Valley (16-5, 10-2 in league) and Arcadia (14-9, 10-2) enter play today tied for first place with a showdown between the two clubs looming at 7 p.m. Friday at Stengel Field.
Before either team can focus on Friday’s clash, both squads must first get through today.
Crescenta Valley, which won the Pacific League title last season, will host a Hoover squad tied for third with Burroughs at 7 p.m. at Stengel Field. Arcadia will meet last-place Muir.
“As cliché as it sounds, one game at a time,” Crescenta Valley shortstop Kris Kauppila said of the Falcons’ approach this week. “Hoover’s a good team, too. We have to get past Tuesday and then the fun is on Friday.”
Hoover (12-7, 8-4) sewed up a berth in the CIF Southern Section Division II playoffs thanks to a complete-game gem from Oscar Aguirre in a 5-0 road victory against Burbank on Friday.
The Tornadoes, who missed the postseason last year, are looking to close out the week with two wins and finish in sole possession of third place or in a possible second-place tie.
Their challenge tonight will be keeping a potent Crescenta Valley attack in check.
The Falcons, who were one-hit in a 6-2 loss to Burroughs on April 29, broke out of a mini offensive slump on Saturday with a 7-2 nonleague home win against St. Francis.
The Falcons are quick to realize that they need to maintain their focus throughout the whole week.
“If we tend to look ahead, then our offense tends to struggle and our focus tends to go other places,” Falcon pitcher Sean Elliott said. “We just need to stay focused and work on what we need to work on.”
Veteran Hoover Coach Jim Delzell said the Tornadoes are relieved to have already wrapped up a playoff spot, but must be up to the task at hand against Crescenta Valley and Glendale.
“It makes it a little more interesting and fun playing CV and Glendale,” Delzell said. “CV’s got big games, and you can throw out the records when you play Glendale.
“It’s been kind of a strange season [in league]. After a couple of teams, anybody is capable of beating anybody. We don’t have a chance to win league, and even though we’ve clinched a playoff spot, we can’t afford to let up. I told them that [Monday].”
Also this week, Glendale will be trying to end its season on a positive note. The Nitros (5-16, 3-9) have been eliminated from postseason contention, but will be looking to topple Burbank today and cross-town rival Hoover on Friday.
But the biggest event this week likely will be the Crescenta Valley-Arcadia showdown on Friday.
The last time the Falcons and Apaches squared off, aces Bryce Rutherford and Travis Feldman engaged in an intense pitcher’s duel April 4.
Feldman and the Falcons held on to pick up a huge 2-0 road victory.
Since then, Crescenta Valley has gone 7-2, while Arcadia went on a 7-3 run, including winning its last four.
There’s an intensity level whenever the Falcons and Apaches meet. With a league championship on the line, emotions will likely be even higher.
And that’s just how the Falcons want it to be.
“All the seniors are excited, last game at Stengel and playing Arcadia for the championship,” Elliott said. “It will be a fun week.”
Added third baseman Lonnie Kauppila: “Since they are our rival, it makes everything 10 times better. It’s going to be a huge crowd. It’s going to be intense.”
— Charles Rich contributed to this story.
DYLAN KRUSE covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3252 or dylan.kruse@latimes.com.
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