Cassidy Solid in Calabasas Loss to Granada Hills

Travis Cassidy played well on Friday, delivering a couple of clutch base hits and several quality defensive plays at first base. Problem was, he didn't get much help from the rest of the Calabasas High Coyotes in an 8-6 Valley Invitational Baseball League loss at Granada Hills.  

"Travis played well,'' said Coyotes assistant coach Chris Sale, a replacement for head coach Ed Edsall, who missed the game due to prior commitments. "Honestly, we've come to expect the consistent play from Travis. He's as reliable as they come. He really is.  

"When we needed a lift today, he came up big. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the job done as a team.''  

As a junior during the high school season, Cassidy was primarily a pitcher. And the left-hander did his job well, finishing with a 5-5 record, three complete games and 2.60 ERA.  

This summer, the Calabasas coaching staff has decided to utilize his versatility and Cassidy as spent time in the infield, as well as the in the outfield.  

"He does so many things well, that's one of the best parts of having him around,'' Sale said. "He's developed into a jack-of-all-trades. A kid who does a little bit of everything and most of it extremely well. He leads by example and you love having those guys on your team.''  

Cassidy's efforts weren't enough to get Calabasas over the hump against the Highlanders, though.

The Coyotes (3-6) did get off to a good start by scoring a pair of runs in the top of the first inning on singles by Allen Clark and Daniel Wilkin.  

Granada Hills (3-5), however, answered quickly. The Highlanders responded with four runs in the bottom half of the first inning.  

Calabasas scored twice in the fourth as Chris Salas delivered a two-run single. And Cassidy started a rally in the fifth with a single as the Coyotes scored two more runs, on a Trevor Weiss double and a Clark single, to give Calabasas the lead again at 6-5.  

The Highlanders rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs, which proved to be the difference.  

Clark got the start for Calabasas but struggled with his control throughout. He went the distance, giving up four earned runs on six hits with five walks and two strikeouts.  

At the plate, Clark did help his cause with a two hits and two RBI. Wilkin and Salas also had a pair of hits and Weiss scored two runs for the Coyotes in the losing cause.  

"Overall, we played well today,'' Sale said. "Sure we ended up losing, but I saw some encouraging signs out there today, especially from Travis. He's a difference maker.''