1. La Caada (4-0) — How could you not justify the Spartans atop the rankings? Great pitching (O’Leary/Cox) and great offensive production (Edwards) easily makes them the area’s dominant team in the area. There are some questions about La Caada’s youth, but at this junction (so early in the season) it is my belief that we got our answer of which area team will dominate, and the Spartans did exactly that in the Duarte Tournament. Anna Edwards was fun to watch last year, but you look at what she did in the Duarte Tournament regardless of opponent, and you have to be taken aback at her heavy swing. She went 9-for-11 with 13 RBIs, three home runs and seven runs scored.
2. San Gabriel Mission (3-0) — We didn’t have the Pioneers in our top 10 preseason rankings, but you can’t ignore what they’ve done in three games, allowing just four runs. San Gabriel on Tuesday beat Maranatha, 3-2. Nicole Holguin had six strikeouts, two walks and pitched 6 2/3 innings. She gave up a two-run double in the top of the 7th inning. She struck out the next better looking.
3. La Salle (2-2) — The Lancers had a shaky start to the season. The 6-2 loss to L.A. Marshall is a quality loss. La Salle went on to beat Flintridge Prep 26-0 (what is this, football?) and lost to South Hills 6-4 before beating Marshall Fundamental 6-4. It’s not exactly the kind of results we were anticipating, but to the Lancers’ defense this still is a very early season.
4. Marnatha (1-1) — The Minutemen will get a chance to bounce back early when they host Arcadia on Wednesday. Maranatha also lost to L.A. Marshall, and got a win over a weak Banning team. There still is some concern in the pitching and fielding department.
5. Monrovia (4-1) — The Wildcats have two shutouts so far this season. If their pitching comes together we could see the darkhorse in the Rio Hondo League. We’ll know a lot more after Monrovia opens the season against South Pasadena.
6. Temple City (2-2) — It’s too early to tell where Temple City is. The Rams beat South Pasadena and Arcadia, solid wins by all accounts. The loss to Arroyo is an iffy loss and losing 4-1 to Schurr might explain why we’re high on Temple City.
7. South Pasadena (2-2) — The young Tigers squad still is finding their form. It can be their strong suit and just as well can be their weakness. South Pasadena plays Schurr today and opens the season against Monrovia on Friday.
8. San Marino (1-1) — Word from some coaches and parents in the know say Michelle Floyd, a 6-foot-3 freshman, is the real deal. The Titans lost only 1-0 to L.A. Marshall, beat Alhambra 10-3 on Monday and currently are playing in the Lincoln Tournament.
9. Mayfield (2-1) — With Katie Clancy in the circle the Cubs always have a chance at a W. The rest is where we may have some questions. We may get some answers when Mayfield plays Maranatha, South Pasadena and Flintridge Sacred Heart.
10. Arcadia (3-3) — The Apaches visit Maranatha on Wednesday. There’s a lot of potential on this Arcadia tea, but errors prove to be too much to recover from and limited hitting will slow down Arcadia.
