Burbank High softball team wins share of league championship
There wasn’t a lot of hoopla with the Burbank High softball players following Tuesday’s victory against Hoover.
The Bulldogs were able to win the Pacific League game in relatively fashion, downing the host Tornadoes, 12-0, in a game called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Although the win gave Burbank (21-3, 12-0 in league) a share of the league championship, that wasn’t enough to satisfy the Bulldogs players, many of whom were on last year’s squad that captured the program’s first outright league title in 26 years.
“It is a nice accomplishment, but our girls just don’t want to share the league title,” Burbank first-year Coach Mike Delaney said. “They are just motivated by the fact that they want to win their second title and have it all to themselves.”
The Bulldogs, who have a two-game lead on Burroughs (10-2 in league) with two games remaining, can win the outright championship with a victory Tuesday against Glendale at McCambridge Park. In the teams’ first meeting April 17, Burbank defeated the Nitros, 13-1, in a five-inning mercy-rule result.
Thursday’s win was the 19th straight on the season for the Bulldogs, who hold down the No. 1 spot in CIF Southern Section Division I.
Delaney said he doesn’t even address the fact with his players that his team is the top-ranked squad in the division.
“As a coaching staff, we have kind of tried to downplay the whole ranking thing,” Delaney said. “We haven’t even been mentioning it to them.
“What we have asked of them the last few weeks is just think that we have a winning streak of one. That way we’re not caught up in whatever our winning streak might be and what our ranking is.”
Against Hoover (6-16, 2-10), Burbank received a fine effort from pitcher Caitlyn Brooks. Brooks (19-3) hurled a no-hitter, striking out 12 and walking one.
On offense, Julia Duarte was three for four with a three-run home run and three runs batted in, Lily Winn was two for three with two runs scored and an RBI and Amber Ingram was two for three with two RBI.
Burbank scored four runs in the top of the first inning to take an early lead. It added two runs in the third, one in the fourth and five in the fifth.
jeff.tully@latimes.com
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