Burbank softball’s season ended in wild-card loss
The Burbank High softball team struggled with its offense in its CIF Southern Section Division II wild-card game Tuesday afternoon against Paramount.
In fact, the Bulldogs could muster just two hits.
“You are just not going to win with just two hits,” Burbank Coach Mike Delaney said.
And that held true against the Pirates. The Bulldogs struggled against Paramount starting pitcher Des Renteria and Burbank suffered a 6-0 loss on the road.
The loss ends the season for the Bulldogs (11-7), who placed fourth in the Pacific League. Burbank came into the season with just three players who had varsity playing experience.
“We just didn’t hit the ball in this game,” Delaney said. “But give credit to their pitcher because she did a good job at keeping us off-balance. She probably had one of the best drop-balls I’ve seen this season. We haven’t seen anything like that all year long. It was a nice little pitch and she worked with it well.
“I think our youth got to us a little bit. It was one of those things where they got a little tight and they started to swing at pitches that they shouldn’t have. Then they started pressing more when it got later in the game. That kind of thing happens with a young team. I just told the girls that it was a good learning experience. But it’s a tough season for our seniors.”
The two Burbank hits against Paramount (9-8) — the fourth-place team from the San Gabriel Valley League — were singles by Julia Duarte in the first inning and Cailey Stevenson in the seventh. Both players moved to second base but were both left stranded.
Paramount scored two runs in the third, three in the fifth and one in the sixth.
“It’s just the little things that we’ve struggled with this season, because we’re so young,” Delaney said. “I think the outlook for next year and even the year beyond that is extremely bright. These players are going to be with us for awhile and they’re only going to get better.
“I just wish deep down the seniors would have had the experience to last a little longer in the playoffs. The seniors just did a great job with our younger players and just navigating them along.”
Tuesday’s loss in the earliest playoff exit for the Bulldogs since 2011 when they lost to Quartz Hill, 7-4, in the first round.
