PREP SOFTBALL: GLENDALE ENDS C.V.'S LEAGUE STREAK AT 55 GLENDALE 2, C.V. 1.Byline: Ramona Shelburne Ramona Shelburne is an American sports journalist currently writing for the Los Angeles Daily News. Shelburne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She attended El Camino Real High School in Woodland Hills, California where she was a class valedictorian. Staff Writer Crescenta Valley The Crescenta Valley is a small inland valley in Los Angeles County, California. Its name derives from its crescent-like shape, with the convex portion facing roughly northeast and the concave portion southwest. High's 55-game league winning streak Noun 1. winning streak - a streak of wins streak, run - an unbroken series of events; "had a streak of bad luck"; "Nicklaus had a run of birdies" wasn't going to end without a fight. Streaks such as that don't end with the only run coming on a home run, and they certainly don't end once the streak-holder rallies in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the game. But there was Glendale, dog-piling near the first-base dugout Thursday after senior pitcher Heather Hamasaki struck out Heather Burke with runners at second and third to end the game and give Glendale a 2-1 victory over host Crescenta Valley in nine innings. There was only one word to describe it. ``This is unbelievable,'' said Glendale senior third baseman third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker Danielle Soule, who hit her first career home run well over the 200-foot wall in left-center in the fourth inning. ``This is something we've all dreamed about since we were freshmen. I can't even put it into words.'' The loss was Crescenta Valley's first in a Pacific League game since the season finale in 1997, a stretch of five years and five league titles. But because Glendale (13-5, 4-2) lost to Hoover of Glendale 8-2 in 14 innings on Tuesday, the Falcons (17-3, 5-1) remain in position to win the league title. ``I hate to lose,'' Crescenta Valley coach Dan Berry said. ``But streaks are for other people, and that's what I told the girls. Our goal every year is to win the league, and we can still do that.'' Though Berry downplayed the streak, his team certainly fought hard to preserve it. Down 1-0 entering the bottom of the seventh, Crescenta Valley's Kirsten Whitt led off with a line-drive double Noun 1. line-drive double - a double resulting from a line drive line double double, two-bagger, two-base hit, two-baser - a base hit on which the batter stops safely at second base; "he hit a double to deep centerfield" down the left-field line, and Jeanine Deno drove her in with a one-out single to right-center. Burke then singled over second base, moving Deno into scoring position In the sport of baseball, a baserunner is said to be in scoring position when he is on second or third base. The distinction between being on first base and second or third base is that a runner on first can usually only score if the batter hits an extra base hit, while a runner on , but Hamasaki was able to pitch out of the jam. Hamasaki was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the ninth inning and scored from first with the winning run on senior Vanessa Roggia's double down the left-field line. ``I was totally relaxed up there,'' Roggia said. ``I knew I had get a hit for my team.'' Crescenta Valley, though, did not go quietly. The Loyola Marymount-bound Whitt led off with a single to center field and advanced to second on a bunt single by Amanda Peek. Both moved up on Deno's sacrifice bunt, but Hamasaki struck out Kacee Crownover and Burke to end the game. Crescenta Valley plays Hoover on Tuesday, meaning Glendale finds itself in the awkward position of rooting for its rival. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. if I'd call it rooting for them,'' said Hamasaki, who finished with 12 strikeouts. ``We're still competitive with (Hoover). It's more like wishful thinking wishful thinking Psychology Dereitic thought that a thing or event should have a specified outcome .'' |
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