Jeff Tully
Summer is a time for learning. And if the Burroughs High baseball
team has learned one thing the last two months, that it can win --
and play well doing it.
That has been evident in the Valley Invitational Baseball League
Championships, where the Indians have shown that they may be a force
for next year's high school campaign.
However, the summer came to an end for the Indians Thursday, as
they fell to Westlake, 13-3, in a fourth-round playoff game at Canyon
High.
The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run mercy
rule.
"We had our opportunities, we just couldn't capitalize on them,"
Burroughs Coach Tom Crowther said. "We left 11 guys on base and we
had the bases loaded twice and couldn't score. That is just not
getting the job done."
Burroughs (18-12) -- which had 11 hits -- pushed across single
runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
The Crushing blow for the Indians came in the fifth inning when
Westlake scored seven runs to force the mercy rule.
Kyle Williams paced the Indians, going three for four. Teammates
Zach LeMaster, Pat Schulties and Brian Sheehey had two hits each.
Wednesday, in a third-round playoff game, Burroughs took on
powerhouse Valencia at the Vikings' home field. What resulted is a
7-1 loss for the Indians.
"Valencia is just a very good team," Crowther said. "You almost
have to play perfect baseball to beat them. They are really on a roll
right now and they are playing very well."
Valencia (27-2-1) opened the scoring early by pushing across three
runs in the first inning.
The Indians had no answer for Viking starter Matt Aidem, who
improved to 4-0 with six strong innings. Along with scattering five
hits, Aidem also struck out nine.
Burroughs scored its only run in the fourth inning when LeMaster
singled home Chris Duran.
"You just can't get behind a team like Valencia and hope to come
out on top," Crowther said. "They are very deep and have four
pitchers who could be the No. 1 starter on almost any team."
Although their summer has ended, Crowther said the campaign has
been a successful one.
"I think we proved a lot this summer," he said. "We will try and
build on this and be more successful next [high school] season. These
players have a lot to be proud of."
