By Rick Assad
When it comes to the CIF Southern Section postseason, it’s really anyone’s game because wins and losses, while important, can also be somewhat misleading.
What matters is how a team plays on a given day and when the Burroughs High baseball team took on Dos Pueblos in a Division III first-round game on Friday afternoon, the visiting Chargers finished with more hits and runs and ultimately prevailed 14-8 in a Division III opening round game.
One inning, the bottom of the second, was the backbreaker as Dos Pueblos (19-10 and 10-4 for second in the Channel League) rolled out nine runs on eight hits and a baker’s dozen came to the plate.
Of those 13 batters, 10 reached base and nine scored to make it 9-2.
Two key hits were the Bears’ undoing and the first was a bad-hop single to left field and the other was a grand slam that wiped out the Bears’ 2-0 advantage.
Matt Magallon is the Burroughs head coach and knew the big inning by the Chargers put his club in a significant hole.
“That was a tough one, no question. The second inning really swung the game. The bad-hop single extended the inning and then the grand slam obviously put us in a difficult spot early,” he acknowledged. “Credit to them for capitalizing when they had the opportunity.”
In the bottom of the first, Burroughs (20-5 and 13-1 for first in the Pacific League) led early on senior Devin Whittekiend’s two-run homer to left field.
Despite being down by seven runs early the Bears didn’t throw in the white towel.
Burroughs chipped away with a run in the bottom of the second and two runs in the fourth as junior Kayson Montgomery (two hits) clubbed a run-scoring double to left field and senior Zack Guevara smacked a run-tallying single up the middle.
Burroughs came within six runs in the seventh as scoring three runs as Guevara had run-scoring infield hit, junior Elliot Ross added a sacrifice fly and senior Logan Drossing (two hits) contributed a run-batted single to left.
Whittekiend, who also added a single in the third inning, was hit hard across one and two-third frames as the senior right-hander surrendered seven hits with one strikeout and one walk.
“As for Devin, I considered it at a couple different points, but he’s been one of the guys we’ve trusted all year in big moments,” he said of taking him out of the game. “In the end I felt he deserved a chance to work through it and get us out of the inning. Unfortunately, it just got away from us there.”
While that inning put the Bears in a huge deficit, there were still seven innings in which the hosts would come to bat.
“That said, this loss isn’t on one player or one inning,” Magallon pointed out. “We had opportunities throughout the game that we didn’t cash in on, and over the course of a season, it’s always a collective outcome.”
Junior Nick Salcido (three hits) had an RBI single to right field and three batters later junior James Barth drilled a bad-hopper to left field that tallied two runs.
Senior Evan Bean tossed in a RBI single to left before a colossal grand slam by Barth over the center field fence.
The Chargers’ lead swelled to 10-3 in the fourth as junior Marcus Carbajal (two hits) blasted a solo homer to center.
A three-hit, four-run explosion in the sixth by Dos Pueblos made it 14-5 as senior Spencer Holtz (two hits) socked a two-run single to left and freshman Mattias Di Maggio (three hits) added a two-run base hit to center.
Senior Slater Mersola singled in the second inning and the fourth frame.
Senior Thomas Martin singled in the second inning and junior Jake Rauenswinder singled in the first inning.
Having a season conclude before reaching the goal is disappointing, but it doesn’t diminish the season.
“I’m proud of the fight and resilience this group showed all year,” Magallon stated. “It’s a tough way for it to end, but there’s a lot for this team to build on moving forward.”
Senior Jack Guest came in and pitched four innings and yielded six hits and issued one walk for the Bears.
Burroughs senior Mason Fournier hit one batter and didn’t get an out while senior Nathan Bartolo walked a batter and allowed one hit over one-third of an inning.
Kai Wilson came up from the Burroughs junior varsity and walked one across one frame.
Senior Liam Shea was on the mound for the Chargers and fanned three and walked two while allowing six hits over one and one-third innngs.
Sophomore Max Cruse went one frame and gave up two hits and one walk for Dos Pueblos while Salcido worked three and two-third innings, striking out three, walking one, hitting two batters and surrendering five hits.
