Jul 24, 2008

Burlingame completes title run

By Scott Campbell / Bay Area News Group

Burlingame's fighting spirit has the team headed to the American Legion 19-and-under State Tournament.

After stunning five-time defending champion San Mateo in a semifinal Wednesday afternoon, Burlingame jumped on Redwood City early and prevailed 5-4 in the evening championship game of the Area 2 Tournament at Baylands Athletic Center in Palo Alto.

In the final, Burlingame roared to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and never looked back, pocketing its fourth win in three days - all in elimination games. Burlingame, which never trailed, advances to the state tournament in Yountville on Aug. 2.

Burlingame right-hander Nik Jurado, who earned a clutch save by getting the final out in the semifinal, relieved Ryan Simpson and held Redwood City to two runs over six innings in the final. Jurado recorded eight strikeouts, including the first two batters in the ninth, and walked one in propelling his team to the championship.

"We just kept chipping away and chipping away, and our bats started to come alive," Jurado said of his team's stellar three-day run. "We're pumped. We're going to have some fun at the state tournament."

Redwood City put the tying run at second with two outs in the ninth after Jack Mosbacher walked and stole second, but Jurado got John Bordy to fly out to right to set off Burlingame's celebration.

Leading 3-2 in the sixth, Burlingame padded its advantage after Andrew Suvunnachuen and Trevor Pasiecznik hit back-to-back singles and executed a double steal. Kevin Hahn followed with an RBI groundout off left-hander Ray Torres, and a throwing error on the play allowed Pasiecznik to score, pushing Burlingame's lead to 5-2.

Facing a three-run deficit with no outs in the seventh, Redwood City's Mosbacher delivered a two-run single to left-center on Jurado's 0-2 pitch. But Jurado recovered to strand Mosbacher at third, retiring Redwood City's 2-3-4 batters on a groundout, a strikeout and a pop-up.

"It really wasn't a disappointment," said Redwood City coach Tink Reynoso, whose team also lost to Burlingame 10-3 on Tuesday night. "We lost to a really good team. It was just their night, that's all."

Earlier, Burlingame grabbed a 2-0 lead before making an out. After Danny Lenardon drew a leadoff walk and Matt Feldman singled, Suvunnachuen flared an RBI single into left field. Then Pasiecznik powered a stand-up double off the base of the center-field wall to drive in Feldman.

Burlingame, which had half of its six hits in the first inning, went ahead 3-0 on first baseman Hahn's sacrifice fly.

"The first inning is what really kind of hurt us," said Reynoso, whose team had nine hits.

Torres recovered to shut out Burlingame over the next four innings. The left-hander totaled 10 strikeouts and one walk, retiring 12 straight batters beginning with Hahn's sacrifice fly.