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Burbank, Peraza remain unbeaten
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| Burbank High's Kristin Peraza had 15 strikeouts Tuesday in a 12-1 Pacific League win against Arcadia. |
SOFTBALL: Bulldogs pitcher strikes out 15 and team dominates Arcadia, 12-1, in Pacific League opener at home.
By Jeff Tully
MCCAMBRIDGE PARK — The Burbank High softball team has plenty reasons to be confident, and maybe even a little cocky.
So far this season, the Bulldogs have sliced their way through all of their opponents, dominated most of the games they’ve played and are ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division III.
Behind powerful junior pitcher Kristin Peraza and a potent lineup, Burbank is definitely making a lot of noise.
That noise got a little louder Tuesday when the Bulldogs destroyed visiting Arcadia, 12-1, in the Pacific League opener for both teams at McCambridge Park.
The game was called after six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Even in the wake of the win against the Apaches, who shared the league championship last season with Crescenta Valley, don’t expect Burbank (8-0) and first-year Coach Nicole Drabecki to proclaim themselves world-beaters.
“Yes, we’re undefeated, and that’s nice,” said Drabecki, whose team pounded out 14 hits against Arcadia. “But we realize that there is the possibility of losing to any team on any given day. That’s why we have to stay focused.
“Right now, we have a team that’s confident. But we don’t want to get too cocky at all.”
One of the primary reasons for Burbank’s success this season is because of the play of Peraza (8-0).
Heading into Tuesday’s contest with the Apaches (2-5), the right-hander boasted a sparkling 0.15 earned-run average in seven games. In addition, she had 94 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Peraza added 15 strikeouts to her total against Arcadia, bringing her season tally to 109. She has struck out at least 12 batters in every game this season.
“Kristin has done such a great job for us this season,” Drabecki said. “She is just a very talented pitcher.”
Peraza, who didn’t allow a walk, survived one mistake in the first inning that stopped her from recording her third consecutive perfect game.
Peraza had Arcadia’s lead-off hitter, Morgan Barchan, behind in the count, 1-2. However, the right-hander hung a pitch over the plate and Barchan belted it into the left-field corner for an inside-the-park home run.
“I think Kristin was upset at herself for letting that pitch get away,” Drabecki said. “She is a very fierce competitor and she doesn’t like runners getting on base, or even getting ahead of her in the count.”
If Peraza used that anger as a motivation, it paid off big time. After the initial home run, she went back to her dominating ways. She set down the next 18 Arcadia batters in order, striking out 15 — including the final 11 in order.
While their pitcher was doing her job in the circle, the Bulldogs offense got rolling in the second inning.
Behind hits from Megan Schafer, Lexi Hernandez and Peraza, Burbank pushed across two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs broke the contest open in the fourth inning by exploding for seven runs. In the inning — in which Burbank sent 11 batters to the plate — the team benefited from triples by Kristina Ortiz and Melissa Sanchez. Sanchez actually had two hits in the inning, leading off with a single.
Burbank added one run in the firth inning and two in the sixth.
Ortiz was three for four with a run batted in and two runs scored, Sanchez was three for four with two RBI and two runs scored and Peraza was two for two with a triple, two walks and an RBI.
All nine of Burbank’s batters reached base in the game, and seven had hits.
So far this season, the Bulldogs have sliced their way through all of their opponents, dominated most of the games they’ve played and are ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division III.
Behind powerful junior pitcher Kristin Peraza and a potent lineup, Burbank is definitely making a lot of noise.
That noise got a little louder Tuesday when the Bulldogs destroyed visiting Arcadia, 12-1, in the Pacific League opener for both teams at McCambridge Park.
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Even in the wake of the win against the Apaches, who shared the league championship last season with Crescenta Valley, don’t expect Burbank (8-0) and first-year Coach Nicole Drabecki to proclaim themselves world-beaters.
“Yes, we’re undefeated, and that’s nice,” said Drabecki, whose team pounded out 14 hits against Arcadia. “But we realize that there is the possibility of losing to any team on any given day. That’s why we have to stay focused.
“Right now, we have a team that’s confident. But we don’t want to get too cocky at all.”
One of the primary reasons for Burbank’s success this season is because of the play of Peraza (8-0).
Heading into Tuesday’s contest with the Apaches (2-5), the right-hander boasted a sparkling 0.15 earned-run average in seven games. In addition, she had 94 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Peraza added 15 strikeouts to her total against Arcadia, bringing her season tally to 109. She has struck out at least 12 batters in every game this season.
“Kristin has done such a great job for us this season,” Drabecki said. “She is just a very talented pitcher.”
Peraza, who didn’t allow a walk, survived one mistake in the first inning that stopped her from recording her third consecutive perfect game.
Peraza had Arcadia’s lead-off hitter, Morgan Barchan, behind in the count, 1-2. However, the right-hander hung a pitch over the plate and Barchan belted it into the left-field corner for an inside-the-park home run.
“I think Kristin was upset at herself for letting that pitch get away,” Drabecki said. “She is a very fierce competitor and she doesn’t like runners getting on base, or even getting ahead of her in the count.”
If Peraza used that anger as a motivation, it paid off big time. After the initial home run, she went back to her dominating ways. She set down the next 18 Arcadia batters in order, striking out 15 — including the final 11 in order.
While their pitcher was doing her job in the circle, the Bulldogs offense got rolling in the second inning.
Behind hits from Megan Schafer, Lexi Hernandez and Peraza, Burbank pushed across two runs in the second inning to take a 2-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs broke the contest open in the fourth inning by exploding for seven runs. In the inning — in which Burbank sent 11 batters to the plate — the team benefited from triples by Kristina Ortiz and Melissa Sanchez. Sanchez actually had two hits in the inning, leading off with a single.
Burbank added one run in the firth inning and two in the sixth.
Ortiz was three for four with a run batted in and two runs scored, Sanchez was three for four with two RBI and two runs scored and Peraza was two for two with a triple, two walks and an RBI.
All nine of Burbank’s batters reached base in the game, and seven had hits.
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