Big inning propels Indians

BURBANK HIGH? One inning of calamity.

And it was more than enough for visiting Burroughs High to post an 8-0 victory against archrival Burbank in Wednesday night’s Foothill League baseball game at Burbank High.

The combination of Burroughs hurlers Ian Disiere and Byron Pacheco kept Burbank hitters off the scoreboard, while the combination of Indian small-ball and Bulldog errors equated to eight Burroughs runs.

Burbank (3-4, 1-3 in league) was fresh from winning its first league contest in 47 tries on March 24. However, that didn’t deter Burroughs (2-7, 1-3) from winning its first league game of the season.

“Hopefully ,that big inning we’ll be a sign of things to come,” said Burroughs Coach Tom Crowther, referring to Wednesday’s seven-run sixth inning possibly igniting an Indian squad that has struggled at times this year. “Everything started with small-ball and that has to be what we do.”

Indeed it did, as center fielder Terrell Wong’s sacrifice bunt in the sixth turned into an error and plated pinch-runner Nick Tonkinson for the game’s first run. A picture-perfect squeeze bunt by Ben Kasper followed. Kasper hustled out a single and not only did Disiere score from third, but Wong scored all the way from second.

Burroughs had a 3-0 lead and the ball hadn’t left the infield.

Two singles and two errors later, the Indians had a 7-0 lead and the Bulldogs were left searching for answers as to how a scoreless pitching duel had so suddenly turned into a blowout.

“We played good for five innings, unfortunately you play seven innings,” said first-year Burbank Coach Bob Hart, whose team committed six errors ? four in the last two innings ? and relinquished its fifth unearned run in the top of the seventh inning when Wong scored for the second time.

Before the sixth, Bulldog starter Keith Hoeffel (1-1) had settled in for a duel with his counterparts.

Hoeffel allowed just one hit through the first five innings, before getting chased in the sixth.

For Burroughs, Disiere, a returning all-leaguer, got the start and pitched three dominant innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven ? including the final six batters he faced.

He got the start March 24 when Burroughs lost to host Hart, 2-1, in 11 innings. Disiere pitched the initial 10 innings, holding Hart scoreless the last nine and, therefore, ending Wednesday with 12 straight innings of scoreless ball.

“It was a confidence booster,” Disiere said of his outing against Hart. “I just had a lot of confidence [Wednesday].”

Pacheco (2-2) took over in the fourth and continued the scoreless trend.

Burbank did put runners on base in the bottom of the seventh. A Jim Baker single sent Matt Kukta home, but Wong let loose on a laser beam from center field that caught Baker.

It wasn’t the only time the Bulldogs squandered a scoring opportunity.

In the top of the first, Burbank loaded the bases with one out, but Disiere quelled the threat.

“You don’t capitalize there, it changes the complexion of the game,” Hart said.

The threat began with a Kevin Armendariz single that the Burroughs scorebook ruled an error. Hence, in one scorebook, the Indians had a no-hitter going into the seventh before two Bulldog singles by Kukta and Baker erased any possible controversy.

Hits were hard to come by in general, as the Indians gathered just five.

Indian Clayton Williamson, whose second-inning double was the only extra-base hit, was the only player to garner a multiple-hit game, going two for four with a stolen base and a run.

For both squads, time will only tell just what bearing Wednesday’s game has on the rest of the season.

Burbank, which defeated Saugus on last week to end its league winless streak, still finds itself in need of curtailing mental mistakes and fielding miscues.

“We just need to get better,” Hart said.

As for Burroughs, it remains to be seen if this win is the spark it needs to save a season.