THE PREPS : Perfect Openings : Valencia’s Granger Shuts Down Glendora

Valencia High School’s Michele Granger, whose team struggled in Orange League play, opened the playoffs in determined fashion by pitching her fourth perfect game of the season against Glendora Friday in the first round of 3-A competition.

Host Valencia won, 1-0.

Granger, whose earned-run average was .043 going into the game, struck out 17. It was her ninth no-hitter of the season, 37th of her career.

Granger holds national records for single-season strikeouts, career strikeouts and career no-hitters. She has nine career perfect games.

Valencia (20-6) scored its only run in the first inning when Julie Cunningham scored on Amanda Chadwick’s fly ball.

The Tigers are 20-6 and will play Bellflower, a 5-0 winner over Eisenhower.

Glendora finished 15-6.

Western’s Pinkerton Blanks Garden Grove

Ivy Pinkerton pitched a perfect game and had the game-winning RBI to lead Western High School to a 1-0 victory over Garden Grove Friday in a Southern Section 3-A softball game at Western.

Pinkerton (5-1), a junior, struck out five. The rest of the batters she faced either popped up or grounded out. Sophomore Missy Pinkerton, Ivy’s sister, was 2 for 2 to help Western (15-10). Garden Grove finished 14-15.