Crescenta Valley Caught Napping by Hoover, 1-0

GLENDALE — Both teams are approaching 20 victories, so it seemed strange that both needed a wake-up call.

Coach Kirt Kohlmeier gave his Hoover High softball team a verbal splash of water to the face Tuesday in his pregame talk before the Tornadoes took the field against Crescenta Valley.

Crescenta Valley was less fortunate.

Its alarm didn’t go off until the bottom of the first inning, when Justine Takizawa’s line single to right-center field sent Cori Herbert to the plate in Hoover’s 1-0 victory over the Falcons.

The Tornadoes (17-8, 7-2) moved into a first-place tie with Crescenta Valley (19-5, 7-2) with one game left in the Pacific League race.

You snooze, you lose.

“It would have been nice to close it out,” Crescenta Valley Coach Alan Eberhart said. “We played well, but we squandered opportunities. Give them credit. They made the plays.”

Hoover probably took the No. 1 playoff seeding away from Crescenta Valley because of its 2-0 record against the Falcons. But there is still a chance for a four-way tie for the title.

If Glendale (6-3) beats Hoover and Arcadia (6-3) beats Crescenta Valley on Thursday, all four teams will be 7-3. Glendale has already beaten Hoover once.

It might not happen again, now that Hoover has regained its spark.

“We’ve been waiting until the third and fourth innings before we come alive,” Kohlmeier said. “I told the girls today, ‘Let’s not wait.’ ”

With one out in the first, Evelyn Crowder singled to right off Crescenta Valley’s Melinda Moulden (16-5). Crowder was forced out on Herbert’s grounder to short.

With two out, Moulden walked Diane Lee and Takizawa hit a one-and-two pitch to score Herbert.

Herbert (16-7), a freshman, pitched a three-hitter, striking out five.

“It’s nice to be the team that scores first,” she said. “It took pressure off me and put it on them.”

The Falcons stranded six runners, including three at third base. Moulden pitched a three-hitter and dominated after the first inning.

The sophomore retired 11 consecutive batters during one stretch, including eight of her 10 strikeouts.