MCCAMBRIDGE — Shortstop Laina Do was moved to the three-spot in the order for May 15’s CIF Southern Section Division II wildcard game against Arroyo Grande.
It was one of the few occasions this season where Do found herself out of her more familiar clean-up or five spots, but it may not be the last time she is moved-up in the postseason in an effort to secure an extra at bat over the course of a seven inning game.
She delivered a RBI single in the first to help Burbank draw first blood. She added another RBI single in the second inning to cap a three-run inning to lead the Bulldogs to a 6-1 win.
Do also reached base a third time and stole a pair of bases for good measure. Teammate Caitlyn Brooks surrendered only one run, scattering eight hits and enducing a pair of crucial double plays to escape some early jams. She earned her 14th win of the season.
The win was one of Burbank’s most impressive of the season, striking early and often against Arroyo Grande’s ace, Jillian Compton, who is committed to Fresno State next year.
The Eagles finish their season 18-10, Burbank improves to 21-6. The Bulldogs will play La Reina on Tuesday, a team it destroyed 8-0 in the season’s early going. La Reina fell to Burbank back in April before finding its game in Tri-Valley League play to earn a piece of the league championship. Burbank finished second in the Pacific League, but drew the third seed after losing a runs tie-breaker to Crescenta Valley.
With the wildcard win under their belts, the Bulldogs might now view that tiebreaker as a blessing more than a curse, as the young team found their A-game Tuessday and put a tough extra inning loss to Burroughs on May 11 behind them.
