There might not be a better rivalry between Burbank and Burroughs than in softball because the players on both sides are not just extremely competitive, but they are close friends with one another before the first pitch is thrown and the last out is recorded.
Thursday night, the two teams concluded their regular season with the visiting Bears pulling out a 3-0 Pacific League victory over the Bulldogs, who gave Burroughs a few scares.
The victory gave Burroughs a share of the Pacific League title, but the Bears will be the league’s top seed for the CIF playoffs due to a better head-to-head scoring advantage with Arcadia, the other co-league champions.
“A league title is tough to win. It takes a lot of work in the offseason that people don’t see. We saw it. We knew what they were capable of. We told them early that you have the capability to do special things,” Burroughs coach Doug Nicol said. “These girls came to practice every day and worked hard. When other teams were taking days off because of the rain, we would go into the gym, we’d go outside and play in the rain. We didn’t take days off, and now the girls are getting the fruits of that. They learned a valuable lesson that hard work pays off.”
Burroughs (21-4 overall, 9-1 in league) scored in the first inning as Gizelle Rangsiyawong walked and scored on a double by pitcher Stevie Dabbadie.
Burbank (14-11, 4-5) had runners on base in five of the seven innings. The Bulldogs’ best chances came in the fourth inning as they loaded the bases on singles by Kara Valencia, Samantha Cafferty and Shelby Cribbs with just one out.
Delilah Alvarado followed with a solid shot to right field. However, Burroughs Alyssa Morales made a fine play to not only catch what could have been an extra-base hit, but she was able to make it a double play as she quickly threw to first base before Cribbs could get back in time.
Both schools will learn their playoff fate when the CIF releases its playoff pairings this weekend.
