By Rick Assad
Jimmy Cafferty sparkled on the mound for seven shutout innings and was electric at the plate as the senior bashed a one-out solo homer to right field and was part of a three-run, fourth inning eruption as host Burbank High upended Pasadena 4-0 in a Pacific League match on Friday night.
Cafferty worked three perfect innings and in two of the three frames, the left-hander fanned the side.
“I was trying to compete with every pitch and get outs. We needed to win as a team. At the plate, I shortened up with two strikes and I got a fastball and put the barrel on it,” said Cafferty of his effort on the hill and at-bat.
Pasadena is 3-7 overall and 0-5 in league and has played Arcadia twice, losing 2-1 in eight innings at home and falling 6-2 on the road.
Burbank is 6-2 in all games and 3-2 in league play and will face Narbonne in a tournament match on Saturday.
“We’re the type of team that can be successful against anybody and we’re the type of team that can lose to anybody. It’s a pretty simple equation,” Burbank coach Bob Hart said. “For us, sometimes, what we need is doing a little less and having that governor on that pedal. We came up on the upside. It could have gone the other way.”
Pasadena also hosted another very good team, Crescenta Valley and lost 6-1 at home and was nipped 1-0 on the road before being blanked on Friday evening.
Burbank’s offense was quiet until the fourth inning when Cafferty lined a homer over the right field fence with one out that made it 1-0.
With two out, junior Bryant Johnson hit a ball in about the same place that Cafferty did for yet another solo homer for a 2-0 edge.
Senior Dylan Kramer was safe on a single to left center and scored on a double to left by senior Ben Castillo.
Burbank added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Castllo (two hits) reached on a run batted in force that plated Johnson, who reached on an infield hit.
In that same frame, sophomore Colby Bette added an infield base hit but did not score.
In the first inning, Pasadena went down 1-2-3 as senior Baylin Brooks fanned swinging.
Senior Marcus Gonzalez then struck out after the catcher threw to first base on a dropped third strike and senior Joe Bacon whiffed on a called third strike from Cafferty.
Freshman Kaleb Derosier reached first base on an error in the second inning and was erased on a force out as senior Rene Salas was safe.
Salas was out trying to steal second base and senior Charlie Ream fanned looking at a third strike from Cafferty.
Senior Seldon Walker was safe on an infield hit but was retired after trying to steal second base in the third inning.
Senior Miguel Yepez struck out looking and sophomore Adrian Oseguera walked. Brooks walked back to the dugout after striking out on a swinging third strike.
Pasadena went down 1-2-3 in the fourth as Gonzalez bounced to the second base and Bacon whiffed looking. Derosier grounded to shortstop that ended the frame.
Salas fanned looking to lead off the fifth inning and Ream became a strikeout victim when he swung at a third strike offered by Cafferty.
Walker was safe on a walk, but Yepez was retired for the third out of the inning when he fanned swinging.
Junior Mario Patzia grounded out to second base in the sixth and Brooks fanned swinging. Gonzalez drew a base on balls and Bacon singled to left center. The inning concluded when Derosier whiffed swinging.
The seventh inning began with Salas swinging at a third strike from Cafferty and Ream fanned looking for the second out. Walker became the 15th strikeout victim as the game ended.
Bacon pitched well for Pasadena, allowing seven hits over six innings, striking out nine with two walks issued.
