Pasadena Falls 4-3 in Extra Innings to Crescenta Valley

Pasadena’s Daniel Richman swings during the Bulldogs’ 4-3 extra inning defeat against the Crescenta Valley Falcons on April 28. – Photo by Vincent Nguyen

By Vincent Nguyen

It wasn’t a matter of hits–it was a matter of runs.

With a total of 16 hits altogether from both teams, the Crescenta Valley High School baseball team overcame Pasadena High School in a 10-inning thriller, with the Falcons conquering the Bulldogs 4-3 on April 28.

“It was a fun game, heartbreaking, but fun,” Pasadena baseball head coach Michael Parisi said about the “crazy” game. “Unfortunately we came up short and we gave everything we had but it just didn’t work out. It’s just one of those games.”

The Falcons garnered nine hits for the evening, while the Bulldogs notched seven in all 10 innings. Both teams had four errors apiece. Pasadena pitcher Niko Lopez commanded the mound for nine innings, registering four strikeouts, nine hits, and three runs. Lopez also earned two walks and a steal on offense.

Pasadena went down a run in the first inning, but scored twice in the second to gain the lead that would last the majority of the game. The Falcons tied it all up in the fourth inning, thanks to a Bulldog error that sent Crescenta Valley pitcher Brian Gadsby home. Gadsby would take over at the mound in the very next inning, striking out three and allowing only one run in his first inning pitching. Gadsby did not allow another run, and only four hits, during his six innings at the mound. Pasadena’s Jorge Reyna (#12) was the only Bulldog to score on Gadsby, lifting Pasadena to a 3-2 lead going into the sixth. Gadsby would allow two more hits but nothing came of it, while Lopez wouldn’t allow a single hit in the same inning.

In the final inning of the game, the Falcons were on their final two outs, when Chase Walker (#21) hit a double to right field to get Crescenta Valley on the field. Moments later, Adrian Damla (#1) repeated the same play, and scored Walker on his double to right field, sending the game into extra innings.

“There’s no momentum, I don’t think anybody had it!” Crescenta Valley baseball head coach Phil Torres said about his side’s grinding comeback over Pasadena. “Both teams made a ton of mistakes.”

It was all Lopez and Gadsby in extra innings as the two faced off in the eighth, with Gadsby allowing the only hit of the inning. Both pitchers earned strikeouts in the ninth before what would be the final inning of the game. Parisi relieved Lopez from the mound and brought on Trent Buchanan (#22) to finish the game.

“Proud of Niko,” Parisi said about Lopez’s nine-inning stretch, striking out four during his run at the mound. “He competed and he gave us everything he had.”

Buchanan started off his time with a leadoff walk, before sending a player out. Crescenta Valley’s Weston Walker (#22) approached the plate and earned a single, before Brett Klein (#12) sealed the game, bringing Damla home after earning the walk early in the bottom of the 10th.

Pasadena will face Burbank at home at 3:30 p.m. on May 1, with hopes of regaining their league momentum.

Pasadena’s Sumner Smith tries to beat the ball to first during the Bulldogs’ 4-3 thriller against the Crescenta Valley Falcons on April 28. – Photo by Vincent Nguyen

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