Burbank 9-11 softball all-stars capture District 16 title
TUJUNGA — For the past several seasons, the Burbank 9-11 District 16 Little League All-Star softball team has grown up and won its share of games.
Familiarity throughout the roster has been an essential asset for Burbank, providing it with an opportunity to excel at the plate and in the field.
Things came together quite nicely for Burbank on Tuesday, as it rolled to a 14-0 victory against Tujunga in the District 16 championship contest at Tujunga Little League Fields. The game was called in the middle of the fourth inning.
The Media city squad proved to be nearly spotless in the two-game tournament, yielding just two hits and not allowing a run against Tujunga. Burbank began the two-team event Monday with a 14-0 win.
“A lot of the players have been together for the last four or even five years,” said Burbank Manager Paloma Arteaga, whose team advanced to the Section 2 Tournament. “It helps a lot because they know each other and they know what to expect.
“It’s pretty much about just keeping them together and seeing what they can do at each practice and game. We take something that we work on at practice and try to use it during a game.”
Burbank will take on the District 40 representative in an opening-round game of the Section 2 Tournament at noon Saturday at Pelanconi Park.
Burbank starting pitcher Liliana Escobar went the first three innings to earn the win. The right-hander struck out nine and allowed two hits.
“I thought I was actually a little bit off; a little rusty because I just came back from a vacation,” Escobar said. “I really wasn’t at my best. It took me a while to get going, but I had my change-up working nicely.
“It’s good to be able to come out here and we’ll next see what we can do at the Section 2 Tournament. It should be exciting.”
Burbank scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-0 lead. Escobar scored on a wild pitch to give Burbank a 1-0 lead before Sophiee Velasquez stole home to make it 2-0. Escobar scored a team-high three runs.
The Media City squad scored a run in the second on an error to take a 6-0 lead.
Burbank scored eight runs in the third to complete the scoring. A three-run inside-the-park home run by Delaney White increased the lead to 12-0. Teammate Suzi Barrios added a two-run inside-the-park home run later in the inning to make it 14-0.
“We work on our hitting at practice before we get to our games,” White said. “Sometimes it takes a little getting used to the speed of the pitcher in the games, but we know how to adjust.
“I think it’s going to be amazing to play in the next tournament against some very good teams from other areas.”
