Section run ends for Crescenta Valley 9-10 baseball

What had been a dominant postseason spurt came to a close for the Crescenta Valley Little League baseball 9-10 All-Stars at the Section 2 Tournament.

Crescenta Valley finished an 0-2 run in the tournament with a 15-5 defeat to San Marino at Montrose Park in elimination bracket action Sunday afternoon.

District 40 champion San Marino earned a spot in Monday’s second-chance bracket finale at Montrose Park at 6:30 p.m., while Crescenta Valley’s season is over.

“I think the score today doesn’t really reflect the way the game really was until the sixth inning,” Crescenta Valley Manager John Risso said. “The game just got away from us and we definitely played well, but we didn’t do enough. Pitcher Joseph Risso kept us competitive until that last inning.”

Crescenta Valley’s loss on Sunday afternoon comes after a 12-2 defeat to Quartz Hill in four innings Saturday in the tournament opener.

“We didn’t show up in our first game against Quartz Hill,” Risso said. “I think we played much better our second game.”

While Crescenta Valley gave up its share of runs, a high-flying offense never got quite in sync.

Crescenta Valley entered the tournament averaging nine runs per game in three previous victories en route to defeating Jewel City/Jewish War Veterans-Tujunga, 9-3, in the District 16 championship at Tujunga Little League on July 9.

“I’ve got to hand it to all the teams, there’s some exceptional talent,” Risso said. “There are teams out there with good, solid mechanics that played solid fundamental baseball. We finished as District 16 champions and we were a solid contender.”