By Rick Assad
One day after edging highly touted Notre Dame High on the road by one run, the Burroughs softball team could have had a letdown when it faced South Pasadena in a nonleague match on Wednesday afternoon at Olive Park.
This didn’t happen as the Bears came out and whitewashed the Tigers 10-0 in a game shortened to six innings.
“It was a good win because we came off such an emotional win yesterday against Notre Dame,” Burroughs coach Doug Nicol said. “It was very emotional. It came down to the last at-bat and we won that game, so we knew coming into the game today that it’s never easy to win a game like that and then come out the next day and play. It was great because everybody contributed today.”
Nicol added: “Stevie [Dabbadie] pitched great. And that’s what we expect from her,” he noted. “I thought the team played good defense behind her and I thought the girls hit the ball well today.”
The run that put Burroughs at the mercy rule came in the bottom of the sixth inning when Dabbadie laced a booming leadoff homer to center field.
In earlier at-bats, Dabbadie delivered a double in the first inning and a single in the third and reached base on a fielder’s choice in the fourth frame.
When Dabbadie wasn’t collecting hits and reaching base, the junior was tossing a complete game, one-hitter against the Tigers, striking out 11, walking two and hitting two batters.
“I just wanted to get out there and do good for me and my team and do my best,” Dabbadie said. “I just try to stay relaxed and everyone on the team is super supportive and super cool and they try to help me out when I’m hitting. They tried to keep me calm and I tried my best.”
Offensively the Bears (5-2) were paced by sophomore Gizelle Rangsiyawong, who clubbed two homers and a single and accounted for six runs batted in.
In the first inning, the Bears scratched out a run when senior Isabella Scozzola’s grounder plated sophomore Mia Ramirez, who led off with a single to right field that turned into three bases when the fielder allowed the ball to get past her. Ramirez finished the day with three singles.
In short order, the Bears seized control 5-0 when they trotted nine batters to home plate in the second inning as five collected base hits.
In the frame, Rangsiyawong’s home run to center field scored junior Laurel Piper, who was a pinch-runner for Dabbadie, who began the frame with a double to center and senior Kiley Christopher, who was safe on an infield hit. Scozzola’s infield grounder also produced a run.
The onslaught wasn’t over as the Bears extended their advantage to 7-0 after a two-run, three-hit third inning with the key blow being Rangsiyawong’s two-run blast down the left-field line.
Rangsiyawong’s productive day wasn’t over until she added a two-run single to right center in the fourth inning.
Dabbadie was sharp from the outset as the right-hander fanned freshman Natalie Kan swinging in the opening frame, but then allowed sophomore Danica Stirling to reach on a single to right center for the Tigers (2-1).
Calm and cool, Dabbadie then induced freshman Emma Beccera to bounce out to first base and fanned sophomore Daphne Malatesta swinging.
Dabbadie began the second inning by striking out junior Allison Lee swinging and fanning sophomore Caitlyn Colmenares looking but walked junior Sydney Lagarce.
When senior Zoe Hollingsworth was caught looking at the third strike, the inning was concluded.
Sophomore Juliana Mostert began the third inning for South Pasadena by getting hit with Dabbadie’s pitch. Kan fanned looking and Stirling reached on a force out. Becerra’s fly ball was nabbed in center field and the inning was over.
Dabbadie faced four batters in the fourth inning as Malatesta lined to shortstop, while Lee walked. Colmenares struck out swinging and Lagarce was called out looking at a third strike.
Dabbadie worked a perfect fifth stanza, inducing a grounder from Hollingsworth, then saw Mostert popup to shortstop and Kan whiffed looking.
The sixth frame began with Stirling getting nicked by a pitch from Dabbadie, but Becerra grounded out, Malatesta struck out swinging and Lee also fanned swinging.
Senior Arley Pena singled in the fifth inning for the Bears, while senior Kaynan Chrysikos had a base hit in the second inning, Piper singled in the fourth inning, and sophomore Phoebe Spangler added a base hit in the first inning.
