Memorable run ends in championship loss for Burbank Junior softball

A fantastic run for the Burbank Junior All-Stars softball team came to close one game and one step short of a World Series berth.

That’s because while Southern California champion Burbank won the first of two elimination games Thursday, the Media City squad came up short in the double-header finale and was defeated by Northern California, 14-8, in the Western Regional Tournament championship in Tucson, Ariz.

With the win, Northern California will represent the Western Region in the World Series, which begins in Kirkland, Wash. on July 31.

The defeat capped a strong 6-2 Western Region run for Burbank, which finished 11-2 overall in the postseason. Burbank won the District 16 championship via default, but more than proved itself with undefeated runs to Section 2 and California Division 3 titles.

As for Thursday, Burbank never really had an answer in slowing down Northern California’s bats in the second game.

The designated home team scored at least one run in all six innings and delivered a devastating six-run fourth inning that gave Northern California an insurmountable 10-4 lead.

Burbank responded with three runs in the top of the fifth, only to watch Northern California bounce back with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning to go up, 13-7. Both teams added a run to the final tally.

Mia Garcia had three hits for Burbank, while Erika Montoya and Memorie Munoz both knocked in two runs apiece.

The setback came after Burbank forced a winner-take-all finale by blanking Northern California, 3-0, earlier in the day.

Pitchers Garcia and Daisy Rubalcava combined for a shutout by scattering seven hits.

Burbank took advantage of three errors by Northern California as Munoz finished with two hits and Chloe Bookmyer drove in one run. Burbank plated two runs in the third and one in the fourth to complete the scoring.