Burbank pitchers Kristi Hale, who started, and Chrystal Diaz had trouble stifling the Panthers’ batters.
“Our pitching was inconsistent, and that was something that really hurt us,” Burbank Coach Nicole Drabecki said. “When your pitchers are having problems, that puts a lot of pressure on your defense.”
The Bulldogs pitchers gave up 12 hits and nine walks.
On offense, Burbank received some solid performances. Senior shortstop Kassy Uchida, who is headed to Utah State, was three for four with three runs scored, senior Megan Schafer was three for four with a triple, a double and five runs batted in and senior Alyssa Meredith celebrated her 18th birthday by going three for three with two RBI and two runs scored.
Pioneer Valley (13-10) — the fourth-place team from the PAC-7 League — put the pressure on the hosts early, scoring two runs in the top of the first inning.
However, Burbank erased the lead with two runs of its own in the bottom of the first.
The battle continued in the second, with the Panthers pushing across five more runs to take a 7-2 advantage.
Undaunted, the Bulldogs continued to claw their way back. The team scored four runs in the bottom half of the inning to whittle the lead down to one.
Burbank finally took the lead in the fourth, as Schafer delivered a two-run scoring double to put her team in front, 8-7.
But like two boxers going toe to toe, Pioneer Valley regained the lead with three runs in the fifth to take a 10-8 lead.
Burbank tallied a single run in the fifth on an error.
In the bottom of the seventh, Nalani Hernandez singled and got to second on a fielder’s choice. However, she was left stranded.
“I thought we put in the effort,” Drabecki said. “We just played a good team from a very good league, and we came up short.”
Pioneer Valley was led by Tryna Gonzalez, who was three for four with three runs scored and Amanda Orrell, who was three for three with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.
