Late surge leads Burbank Junior All-Stars to Section 2 softball title
SAN FERNANDO — Two days earlier in the opening round of the Section 2 Tournament, the Burbank Little League Junior All-Stars softball team scored early, tallied 15 runs and rolled to a victory over San Marino National.
But in Monday’s championship game against San Marino, Burbank struggled early and was blanked over the course of the first four innings.
Luckily for the Media City squad, it finally broke through for the first run of the contest in the fifth inning and tacked on six more in the sixth to defeat San Marino, 7-0, and claim the Section 2 championship at the San Fernando Little League.
“I think in the beginning of this game we were a little tight,” said Burbank coach Rocco Buffolino, who guided a Burbank Major team to the semifinals of the Western Regionals in 2016. “In close-out games, we tend to get like that.
“But I was happy that we were able to make some adjustments and we were able to start to hit the ball a little bit. Once we stopped trying to pull everything, we got the results and we hit a lot better.”
The win advances Burbank to the Southern California Divisional Tournament. The squad will open play at 6 p.m. Sunday against the Section 3 or Section 9 champion at Tujunga Little League Fields.
Although Burbank, the District 16 representative, easily handled San Marino (District 17) in its tournament opener Saturday, 15-5, the locals couldn’t get much going early on Monday.
In the second and third innings, Burbank had runners on with no outs only to hit into identical 1-3 double plays. In the fourth inning, Annie Buffolino doubled to left-center with one out but was left stranded.
While Burbank struggled on offense, its defense and a fine effort from starting pitcher Kym Rudder kept it in the game. Rudder went six innings, allowing five hits with one strikeout and no walks.
“Kym Rudder really pitched a gem,” Rocco Buffolino said. “She pitches to contact anyway and although she had just one strikeout, not walking anyone was big. She threw to both sides of the plate, she kept them off-balance and she just did fantastic.”
San Marino had runners on base in each of the first four innings, including runners in scoring position in the second and fourth, but came up empty every time.
Burbank tallied the only run it would need in the top of the fifth. Daniella Gray (two for three with two runs scored) singled down the left-field line, stole second and was sacrificed to third on a two-strike bunt by Calista Lee. Gray came home on a run-scoring base hit to left by Savannah Benson.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead, Burbank broke the game open with six runs in the sixth, highlighted by a three-run double to left by Makenna Palamara that put the locals in front, 4-0.
“I was just looking for the perfect pitch to hit,” said Palamara, who was two for four with a run scored and three runs batted in. “I was looking for something right up the middle I could go with.
“When I saw the pitch was right there, I just swung my hardest and I was able to hit it.”
San Marino got two runners on in the bottom of the seventh with one out, but Benson, who came on in relief, closed the door. She induced a fielder’s choice and a 1-3 groundout to finish things.
“We will get a couple of days to rest and we will get right back to it this coming weekend,” Rocco Buffolino said. “We are looking forward to it.”
Twitter: @jefftsports
