By Rick Assad
It was a painful night for the Burroughs High baseball team which ended its season on Thursday evening in a CIF Southern Section Division IV first-round playoff game versus visiting Ontario Christian.
The Bears were no-hit, failed to score a run and also committed four errors and fell 8-0 as a full house look on.
Senior Nate Chapman reached base on a walk in the first inning and was hit by a pitch in the fourth for the Bears (19-8).
“It’s just baseball. Hats off to their pitcher. He pitched a great game. Our guys kept fighting to the end and never quit,” said the second baseman who played shortstop. “That says a lot about our team. Overall, we had a great season and I’m going to miss Burroughs.”
Senior Chris Perez was also nicked with an offering in the fourth, senior Nickolas Fritz was tagged with a pitch in the sixth inning, junior Kyle Smith walked in the seventh and freshman Elliot Ross was hit with a pitch in the sixth.
Ontario Christian, which will play Rio Mesa in the second round, collected 10 hits off three pitchers and were tied up by senior left-handed pitcher Luke Ballantyne, who struck out nine, walked two and hit four batters across seven innings.
Ballantyne retired the side in order in the second inning when he fanned Perez and senior Dylan Conahan, the third inning after he whiffed Smith and the fifth inning when he failed to strike out a batter.
In the seventh, Ballantyne fanned two and they were senior Willan Armes and Conahan.
Burroughs junior Kenny Montgomery walked four and allowed one hit with one strikeout across three and two-third innings.
Senior Elvis Moreno went two and one-third innings and surrendered five hits with two strikeouts, one walk and one hit batter.
Sophomore Jack Guest pitched one inning and yielded three hits with one strikeout.
The Knights (14-14) used a three-run fifth inning, a four-run seventh and scored one run in the third that was helped when the Bears made two errors.
Ahead 1-0, Ontario Christian increased the advantage to 4-0 after another two error frame by the Bears.
In the fifth, the Knights trotted eight batters to the plate and senior Hayden Slegers singled to right field, Ballantyne reached on an infield single and senior Nolan Jennen was safe on an infield hit.
Two frames later, Ontario Christian was at it again, this time sending nine batters to the plate as six players reached on base hits.
The first four batters were safe on hits and included junior Logan Escote, who blooped a double to right field, Jannen on an infield hit, junior Nate Morales, who singled to center field and senior Eric Ramirez (two hits), who had a run-scoring single to center.
Junior Jacob Erickson added a run-scoring single to left and Ballantyne’s single to left field were part of the frame and Slegers scored a run on a force out.
