By Rick Assad
Even the best have off days when things just aren’t going their way, and this was clearly the case for Burbank High’s Maddison Kellogg.
Kellogg, the senior ace the last three years has posted a cumulative earned-run average of 1.44, was pushed around for nine hits, including six for extra bases and suffered a 10-0 nonleague defeat at the hands of Granada Hills Charter High.
The game was halted after five innings due to the mercy rule on Tuesday afternoon at McCambridge Park.
Just hours earlier on the Bulldog campus, Kellogg signed her college letter of intent to attend California Baptist University in Riverside.
On the day, Kellogg struck out three, walked four and hit one batter across five innings.
Let’s be clear: the Highlanders are a perennial power and this day all three phases were working after the visitors scored in four of the five innings.
Burbank first-year coach Javier Rojas addressed what happened in the lopsided game.
“I like playing really hard teams because it gets us ready and set up for the [Pacific League],” he said. “I’m looking for effort and attitude and seeing really good pitching, so when it’s time to win and when it matters, we should be good to go.”
Granada Hills Charter (2-1) used a three-run first inning to set the offensive tone.
After getting leadoff hitter senior Jocelyn Jimenez to line out to second base, Kellogg hit senior Lainey Brown.
Junior Elysse Diaz promptly laced a double to left field that scored a run and the next batter, senior Samantha Esparza, proceeded to wallop a double to right center field that plated the second run.
Kellogg, who had a 0.30 ERA as a junior, struck out senior Giselle Meridia swinging but then surrendered a run-scoring single to left field from junior April Anaya, who was credited with the win after working three innings and allowing one hit with three strikeouts.
The lone base hit to left field for Burbank (1-3-1) came in the third inning from sophomore Priscilla Sanchez and also saw her steal second base.
Sanchez was left stranded when the next three batters fanned and included sophomore Isabel Villagran swinging and senior Samantha Cafferty looking.
Kellogg worked a perfect 1-2-3 second inning as she fanned freshman Sophia Gonzalez looking, Jiminez bounced back to Kellogg and Brown ended the frame by fouling out to third base.
In the third inning, Kellogg faced seven hitters, and four batters reached base.
They included Diaz on a double to center field, Meridia on an infield hit and senior Jasmine Soriano and senior Annabella Ramirez both drawing walks. Diaz and Meridia both scored to make it 5-0.
The Highlanders increased their lead to 7-0 with a two-run fourth inning as Jimenez led off with a triple to center field and scored on a stolen base and Diaz’s inside the park home run to center field.
The scoring concluded in the fifth inning when Granada Hills Charter sent seven hitters to the plate.
Soriano walked with one out and went to second base on a passed ball and third base on a wild pitch and scored on junior Jayleen Garcia’s sacrifice fly to center.
Brown’s two-out double to left field scored two runs to make it 10-0.
“I think we just need to back her [Kellogg] on defense, and we need to back her up with hitting,” Rojas said.
Senior pitcher Addison Moorman went two innings and fanned five batters.
