Hit Makes Cervenka Miss No-Hitter

OXNARD — These days it’s not enough for Meredith Cervenka of Crescenta Valley High to pitch a one-hit shutout against one of the toughest teams on the Falcons’ soft schedule.

She has established herself as the region’s most dominant pitcher, earned a scholarship to Long Beach State and set high standards for herself.

That’s why she was a bit disappointed that somebody actually managed a hit Wednesday in Crescenta Valley’s 4-0 nonleague victory over Hueneme.

“I don’t want to be selfish or anything, but [a no-hitter] would have been nice,” Cervenka said.

Erica Mijares spoiled Cervenka’s no-hit bid with a one-out single in the seventh, Hueneme’s only shining moment.

“I knew she’d do it,” Coach Nichole Victoria of Hueneme (9-4-1) said of Mijares.

Cervenka had to shave her 30-minute warm-up to 15 because the Falcons arrived late.

Not even a near two-hour bus ride could slow Cervenka.

“I was feeling good [Wednesday],” she said.

The senior right-hander retired the first 16 batters, 11 by strikeout.

“I wasn’t throwing that many [riseballs], but my screwball was rising a lot,” she said. “So I kind of got two [pitches] with one.”

Everything was working for Cervenka, especially her change-up, which fooled every batter in the lineup, including Mijares.

“[Cervenka] did a really good job of keeping us off balance with her change-up,” Victoria said. “It was a good eye opener for us to see. The girls needed to see pitching like that because we don’t see so much of it in our league anymore.”

Cervenka (10-1) got all the support she would need in the second inning.

Ashley Powell led off with a single up the middle and took second on Kaycee Crownover’s sacrifice.

Kirsten Whitt, Heather Grossnickle and Samantha Dempsey followed with line-drive singles--one to center, one to right and one to left.

Grossnickle’s single scored Powell and Dempsey’s single drove in Whitt.

Grossnickle scored on Sarah Sherman’s squeeze for a 3-0 lead.

Crescenta Valley (10-1), top-ranked in the region by The Times, managed only three hits in the final five innings.

“I think we were probably just satisfied [after the second inning],” Cervenka said. “It was nice to get three runs in one inning. I’m not used to that.”

The Falcons added a run in the seventh when Sherman scored on a ground ball by Melanie McCauley.