By Justin Vigil-Zuniga
Signal Sports Writer
Foothill League action kicked off last week with some big wallopings headlining the opening week.
Valencia lost its first league game in three years, Saugus won five of its six games in the week and West Ranch’s heavily underclass team is looking like a powerhouse.
Valencia has a bumpy week
After starting the week with an 18-0 demolition of Castaic, Valencia was stunned by Saugus 6-4. Both teams then headed to Bullhead City, Arizona, for a huge weekend tournament.
The Vikings lost their first three matchups but ended the weekend strong with a 9-3 win over Rio Rancho and a 6-3 win over Grand Terrace.
Head coach Donna Lee’s team picked up some needed momentum as Valencia headed to West Ranch on Tuesday with little rest.
Saugus heats up in Bullhead
The Centurions entered league play with a chip on their shoulder and it paid off. Saugus downed Valencia before heading into what would be an impressive weekend.
After dropping their opening matchup with La Habra, 7-6, Saugus won out. The team won four straight games to close out Bullhead with two 5-0 wins over El Modena and Flagstaff, an 8-5 win over Lakewood and an 11-1 beating of Millenium.
The Centurions also got little rest in between games and prepared for a home league matchup with Hart on Tuesday.
“Our bats are very hot right now and our pitchers are throwing well,” said Saugus head coach Amanda Clark. “We are on a high but are very focused on Hart.”
West Ranch whoops Canyon 19-4
The Wildcats (10-2, 1-0) put on a hitting clinic against (4-4, 0-1) Canyon on March 9. Both teams have a few key seniors but are heavily powered by ninth- to 11th graders. Leadoff hitter Savannah Gatewood led the way for the Cats batting 3-4.
West Ranch is coming off a heartbreaking extra inning loss to Vasquez 13-12 on March 8, but clearly showed no signs of trouble swinging the bat. The Cats now head into the new week with a highly anticipated matchup with Valencia on Tuesday. Both teams are loaded with hitters and will likely end up in the top three of league at the end of the year. West Ranch will seek their first win over Valencia in three years.
Canyon also had the rest of the week off and head coach Todd Wensley hoped to get his team back on track for their Tuesday matchup with Golden Valley.
Golden Valley downs Castaic 13-3
Castaic (0-3, 0-2) is still looking for their first varsity win. Golden Valley (3-6, 1-1) got their bats hot to start league play before a quick cool off later in the week at Hart.
The Grizzlies will have a good test at home as the team readies to host Saugus on Thursday.
Hart blanks Golden Valley 12-0
The Indians are on a tear right now after winning their fifth consecutive game. Three of their wins were won by nine or more runs along with two shutouts. Hart is rolling but will face a big test in their next game with Saugus. Both teams come into the matchup on big win streaks. Hart headed to Saugus Tuesday before a home matchup on Thursday with Castaic.
