Softball

“Good teams find a way to put the success of the team at the forefront,” the new softball coach K.C. Mathews said. Between the words that were coming out of his mouth was the hint of a smile from knowing this particular cliche is true. More specifically, it’s true for his team, the La Cañada girls’ softball team (8-4, 4-1 in league). They’ve been rolling through the Rio Hondo league, too, making easy work of San Marino, South Pasadena and Monrovia.

Already starting hot with a fourth place finish in the Duarte Tournament, La Cañada?s softball team hit Monrovia hard on Friday, 6-1. The Spartans improve to 5-1 on the season, their one loss coming from La Salle in the third-place game of the Duarte Tournament two weeks ago. The Spartans were anchored by a great performance by sophomore Lauren O?Leary, who pitched six innings, allowing only one run on four hits. ?O?Leary had a great outing,? said Monrovia Head Coach Randy Medina.

La Cañada softball took down Maranatha in both games of a doubleheader Saturday. The Spartans won the first game, 4-0, and the second 10-2. ?Maranatha?s a solid team,? said La Cañada Head Coach KC Mathews, whose team is ranked No. 2 in the CIF Southern Section Division V coaches? poll. ?They definitely have some girls who can swing a bat. It was a good opportunity for us, and we played very well, defensively and offensively. ?To get the performance from [pitchers Megan]

For La Cañada's softball team, the only way to go is up. The team this season faces the challenge of bouncing back from last year's 1-10 league record. They seem to be doing all right so far. After entering last week's Duarte Tournament as the No. 16 seed, the Spartans blasted Rio Hondo Prep, Azusa, and Covina to make it to the championship game Friday night against the Ontario Christian Knights. "This was great, that we could come in as the 16th seed and make it this far," said new Head Coach Justin Valassidis.

Host South Pasadena, which hasn't won many games this season, surprised the La Cañada girls' varsity softball team with an 8-1 Rio Hondo league win on May 6. The Spartans dropped their overall record to 11-10 and their league mark to 7-4. They played Monrovia at home in the final regular league game of the season on Tuesday, but results were not available at press time. La Cañada actually took an early lead with a run in the top of the third inning. South Pasadena tied the score with a run in their half of the frame.

Finally, the girls? softball team will have a place to change and the kids from AYSO will have a bathroom. After about a year of preperation, La Cañada High and the school board proudly cut the ribbon on a brand new bathroom and changing facility right next to the La Cañada softball field. ?This is big, to have all of those kids,? School Board President Susan Boyd said, ?and their families and parents here and never having anywhere for them to use the restrooms. ?The [LCHS girls?

La Canada High School's softball team lost to Burroughs (Ridgecrest) on Wednesday, 3-2. La Canada jumped out to the early 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a single by Amanda Ulf, but Burroughs caught up with two in the fourth and an extra run in the fifth. Lauren O'Leary pitched very well, despite giving up the three earned runs. She finished all six innings and had three strikeouts. The Spartans didn't end the season strong, losing their final six games, but have a lot to look forward to next season, return almost all of their team, including O'Leary and power hitters Anna Ulf and Anna Edwards.

The La Cañada Spartan 8 and under girls' softball tournament team played in the Moorpark ASA tournament last weekend. They lost to a Santa Paula team in their first game. Facing a great pitcher, La Cañada scored two runs off hits by Niamh James and Kelsey Drange. In the second game against Ojai, La Cañada took an early lead with strong pitching from James, but couldn't hold it when Ojai came back with strong hitting in the last inning to take a two-run lead. La Cañada's offensive highlights included hits from Melissa Horner, Noelle Smith and a double by Drange.

The Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy varsity softball team defeated visiting Woodland Hills Louisville, 11-5, in a Mission League game at the Glendale Sports Complex last Friday. The Tologs, who improved to 10-8 overall and to 2-6 in league, played North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake on Monday at L.A. Valley College and hosted Sherman Oaks Notre Dame yesterday (Wednesday) at the GSC in league contests. Results were not available at press time. Melissa Wong started for Sacred Heart and was relieved in the fourth inning by Analiese DiConte.

The La Cañada High School junior varsity softball team won its second Rio Hondo League Championship this season. The team finished with a 17-1-1 record, with the only loss coming at the hands of South Pasadena in the beginning of the season. The Spartans' second match up with South Pasadena turned out to be the highlight of the season. The Spartans started the game with nine consecutive hits in the first inning, including three doubles and a triple. Megan Martin hit her spots and pitched an outstanding game with nine strikeouts.

Records were set, expectations were realized and playoff runs were made in the 2009-10 sports season in La Cañada. Whether it was swimming, basketball, volleyball, softball, soccer or track and field, the area had its share of fine individual female performers from a number of schools. Those athletes won All-Area, All-CIF Southern Section, all-league and even All-American accolades. They were also instrumental in helping their respective teams earn CIF and league success.

La Cañada has proven to be a powerhouse for baseball, softball, volleyball and now football. No matter what sport is being played at any time of the year, there are sure to be talented standouts out there on the city's fields. This year was no exception. Records were set, expectations were realized and playoff runs were made in the 2009-10 La Cañada sports season. Many athletes hung up their high-school jerseys to don the uniform of NCAA Division I universities. Here are the top-10 male high-school athletes of the year in La Cañada, as voted on by the sports editors and writers of the La Cañada Valley Sun and Glendale News-Press.

A year ago this week La Cañada was humming along pretty much as usual. Daytime temperatures were in the upper 90s. Some of the private schools had already opened their doors for the new school year and the public schools were poised to reopen the following Monday. It was relatively quiet, just as it is at the tail end of summer every year. Nonetheless there was some activity to report in late August 2009. Ground was broken for the new site of Flintridge Bookstore. It was a bright moment for the owners of the shop that had been heavily damaged the previous April when a runaway big rig crashed into it — after killing two people and injuring many others.

While most people take their summer to relax, a group of a dozen 12-year-old girls from La Cañada were busy winning a championship. For the first time ever, a 12-and-under La Cañada youth softball team won the state championship, garnering the honor on July 18 in Camarillo, as the La Cañada 12U Gold blew past Sylmar, 11-3, to claim the 2010 ASA (Amateur Softball Assn.) Southern California State Championship. Last year, they got a taste of the state championship and they wouldn't be denied the second time around.

Thieves have stolen seven bronze plaques, some worth thousands of dollars, from two La Cañada Unified schools during the last three weeks, according to Los Angeles County sheriffs. Four plaques were stolen from La Cañada High School during the weekend of July 9 to 12, said Det. Brian Tibbett, including one dedicated to former history teacher and football coach Bud Heavner and another dedicated to former softball coach Tom Parker. The total loss was valued at $5,400. "All the bolts that were attaching these plaques were broken, and the plaques were pried from secure locations," Tibbett said.

There were driving forces this past season for the La Cañada High softball team. Two players were among a group which helped the Spartans experience league and playoff success. Anna Edwards and Lauren O'Leary are those two players, and they have added to their 2010 achievements after being named to CIF Southern Section Division V first team. Together they added to the two main strengths that helped drive the Spartans — dominant pitching and timely hitting. "We gave up a total of 14 earned runs in a 30-game season; that says a tremendous amount about our pitchers [O'Leary and Lauren Cox]

Softball team wins home tournament The La Cañada 12-and-under softball team kept rolling this weekend, as it won the district championships hosted in La Cañada over the Fourth of July weekend. The event was hosted by the La Cañada Junior Baseball and Softball Assn. The team won four straight games to advance to the Western District championship game against Fillmore on Sunday morning. La Cañada came out on top in five innings, 12-1. Taking first place in the tournament qualified the squad for the American Softball Assn.

While most people were planning their Fourth of July celebrations, a large group of fifth- through eighth-graders developed their volleyball skills. The Foothill Volleyball Camp has been a staple in La Cañada for about a dozen years, and it's still going strong. Tami Aldrich, a former La Cañada High volleyball coach, came up with the idea for the camp. However, when Aldrich couldn't run the camp any longer, a local family that had been involved with the event adopted it as their own. Warren Weaver helped coach the camp along with his late wife, Mary.

The summer is in full swing with the start of the La Cañada Junior Baseball and Softball Assn.'s 2010 La Cañada Summer Smash. The competition began last weekend, and the softball tournament will continue this weekend. "The tournament went really well," tournament director Jack Johnson said. "We had 43 teams and played 75 games, and it all went very smoothly." La Cañada, the tournament's host, emerged as the champions of the Bronco 12 Division. Each division was won by a team from a different city: Santa Clarita, Thousand Oaks, the Palisades Waves, Toluca Lake Titans and Simi Valley Blue.

After getting a taste of the playoffs for the first time in some time, the La Cañada High softball team is hungrier than ever to get a CIF Southern Section championship ring. The 2010 season started out with low expectations after seven seniors left the team and five freshmen were called upon to fill the varsity roster. The Spartans' low expectations turned into high hopes, however, as the season progressed. After making it all the way to the CIF semifinals, the team's hopes were shattered as errors untimely cost them a shot at a championship after a 3-1 loss to South Hills of West Covina.