Hart Gets Back in the Swing, 10-3 : High school baseball: Espy helps Indians break out of hitting slump in Foothill victory over Burbank.

Hart High found itself starting Foothill League baseball play Friday with an offense that was having trouble doing just that--starting.

The Indians scored a total of five runs in their two previous games, both nonleague defeats. They couldn’t get untracked. They needed a catalyst to reignite the hit machine that scored 20 runs in two games two weeks ago.

They needed a designated rally starter, and designated hitter Mike Espy delivered.

Espy, a 5-foot-11, 214-pound left-handed batter, lined a two-run single off the right-field fence in the first inning to key a 10-3 victory over Burbank.

Espy’s liner looked as if it would be a double, but it reached the fence so quickly that right fielder Courtney Ranshaw was making his relay throw when Espy rounded first base. But that’s OK. Espy, who came to the plate with a .188 batting average, gave the Indians what they were looking for--a 2-0 lead and early momentum.

“All I really wanted to do was get those runs in, because I’ve been struggling,” said Espy, Hart’s No. 5 hitter. “It felt solid, and it got out there pretty good.”

Hart (5-3) collected 11 hits. Espy was two for two. He added a bloop single in Hart’s four-run third inning before Mike Adachi belted a two-run single. Adachi’s hit was big because it came with two out and immediately followed a failed squeeze bunt attempt. Chad Ott followed with a bunt single, which led to Jeremy Seipel’s two-run single.

Espy kept on contributing. He was hit by a pitch and drew a walk in his other at-bats.

Pitchers Ramiro Alvarez and Frank Garcia of Burbank (4-4) battled wildness. Alvarez (2-2) gave up eight hits and six runs (four earned) in 2 2/3 innings. Garcia gave up four runs in 2 1/3.

In all, Burbank pitchers walked five and hit four batters (two were beaned but not hurt). They also served up several hanging curveballs.

“We saw a lot of those today,” Espy said. “It wasn’t the best pitching we’ve seen, but it wasn’t the worst. But that was the first game we came out and attacked in a while.”

Burbank Coach Chad Nammack said Alvarez was wild because he threw hard in practice the previous day and was not scheduled to start. But Alvarez had to be pressed into service after scheduled starter Brian Sindle was suspended from school.

Hart starter Kevin Pitzer improved to 3-0.