Burbank Bees softball buzzes past Ruthless for Junior title

GLENDALE — Patience at the plate and small ball proved to be the catalysts for the Burbank Bees prevailing in the District 16 Tournament of Champions Junior softball championship game Tuesday evening at the Scholl Canyon Ball Fields.

The Bees, playing Burbank Ruthless after splitting two games to set up the deciding contest, managed four hits, but took advantage of 10 walks to win, 11-4, and claim the title on a rainy night.

PHOTOS: Burbank Bees win junior softball championship

Chloe Bookmeyer accounted for two of the team’s hits, as she knocked in five runs on a pair of doubles. The double-digit run total was enough for Bees starter Alex Davis, who went the distance, striking out six.

“She pitched yesterday, too,” Bees Coach Manolo Travieso said of his starter, who also scored four runs as the lead-off hitter. “I’m so proud of her. She and our catcher, Nikki Davis, are an amazing battery. Nikki was not a catcher last year and she’s worked really hard.”

Burbank Ruthless sprayed seven hits in the ballgame, including four in a two-run sixth inning that cut the Bees’ lead down to 8-4. A base running mishap ended the threat in favor of a Bees squad that added three runs in the sixth to leave little doubt in the outcome.

Ruthless struck first on a run thanks to a wild pitch in the opening inning. Alex Davis, who settled down after the first inning, scored in the bottom half of the first on Bookmeyer’s RBI groundout to quickly answer Ruthless.

Ruthless would not lead again. The Bees capitalized on seven walks in the third inning, including five consecutive, to score six runs. Lilly Travieso got things started with a single, scoring Hana Savola. Bookmeyer cleared the bases with a two-run double to give the Bees a 4-1 advantage.

The three runs that followed did not require a bat on the ball in an inning that saw the Bees bat through the order.

“We had to take advantage of little mistakes,” Manolo Travieso said. “They’re a tough team so if they give us walks, we gotta take them. We wanted to minimize our errors while maximizing theirs.”

Ruthless Coach Peter Orozco, who stuck with his starter through the struggles, said it was a learning experience.

“Our pitching wasn’t their tonight, we struggled,” he said. “She’s still young and learning. She’s only in sixth grade.”

Ruthless scored three unanswered over the fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a two-run single from Natalie Hooper in the sixth, scoring Mia Garcia and Memorie Munoz, who reached base on consecutive singles.

However, the fourth single of the inning resulted in a base-running error that dashed all hopes of a comeback.

The Bees increased their cushion back to seven runs on Bookmeyer’s second double of the game and a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Carly Oldfield.

“To have Chloe today … I was just happy to have her back,” said Manolo Travieso, whose team dropped the first game of the three-game set with Ruthless, 17-7, before taking the next two. “But as you know, it’s a team sport and we need every single player. I’m really proud of them.”

Seven players recorded hits for Ruthlesss.