The softball team fell to the Burlingame Panthers 8-0 for the division title on Tuesday afternoon.
Burlingame started off hot, quickly filling the bases with a series of singles and a double. The Panthers took advantage of their early setup by scoring with a fly ball to left field, leaving the Bears trailing 1-0.
The next batter up for Burlingame smashed a ground ball that the Bears struggled to retrieve, allowing the Panthers to increase their lead to 3-0. M-A was slow to tighten up their defense, and Burlingame squeezed in one more run from a double on a line drive to left field. Still, the Bears continued to battle, as junior second baseman Juliana Pandolfo fielded a ground ball to close the top of the inning, with Burlingame holding a 4-0 advantage.
Junior pitcher Gracy Nava started the Bears’ offense by promptly getting on base by getting hit by a pitch. However, after an M-A flyout to center field, Burlingame delivered a double play to keep the Bears scoreless going into the second inning.
“This was our last home game. So, especially for the seniors, [as] the last home game ever, there’s definitely some tension there. We definitely wanted it,” senior right fielder Elise Koo said.
Nava came into the second inning resilient, tightening her pitching to strike out the first batter, which was followed by a lineout to senior shortstop Carey Maletis. Despite this, the Panthers refused to let up, loading the bases and hitting in a runner to extend their lead to 5-0.
Burlingame began the top of the third inning with a double to right field, but the Bears stayed composed, shutting them down with three consecutive outs to return to offense. Despite this burst of momentum, swings by senior catcher Kylie Cox, freshman third baseman Lavietani Taufahema*, and sophomore first baseman Olivia Rodgers were all immediately returned by the Panthers, leaving M-A scoreless.
When the fourth inning came around, M-A started to find their connection. The Bears stayed composed, even with a pitching change from Burlingame. Their defense matched that of their competitors, getting swift outs on the Panthers and getting their first 1-2-3 inning of the game.
Despite this, Burlingame showed no mercy in the bottom of the fourth. They started with a strikeout, followed by two swings that were easily taken care of, getting three quick outs to force the Bears to return to the dugout.
“Both teams’ defense, besides our first inning, were very solid both ways around, but their hits were just getting in the gaps, and there’s not much we can do,” senior left fielder Molly Rosen said.
In the top of the fifth, the Panthers were able to get a single and a double with hard-driven ground balls. However, they were threatened by impressive plays from senior right fielder Elise Koo and junior center fielder Emma Loose. With another ground ball, Burlingame found a gap in left field, bringing a run home to elevate the Panthers’ lead to 6-0.
“There was like a lot of buildup to it, because, you know, there’s some like, reporters here from Cal-Hi and West Valley Preps,” senior catcher Kylie Cox said, explaining some of the pressure the Bears felt heading into the game.
The bottom of the fifth began with Taufahema getting hit by a pitch and reaching first. In a double play, the Bears hit a ground ball to Burlingame’s shortstop, which resulted in a smooth double play. The Panthers found their third out when the next batter for M-A hit a pop fly that was briskly caught by the right fielder, sending the game into the sixth inning.
The Panthers were quick to start their offense, hitting a double and advancing to third because of an error by the Bears. Following a similar tactic to most of their previous gameplay, Burlingame swung a line drive to left field, making the score 7-0 in the top of the sixth.
However, the sixth inning didn’t go as well for the Bears. Despite promising hits by M-A, Burlingame was in the right place to get yet another 1-2-3 inning, leaving the Bears searching for their first run.
Still, Burlingame didn’t slow down, putting runners on bases early with a walk and a single. Capitalizing on this, a line drive to center field allowed the batter advanced to second and brought another run home, 8-0.
The bottom of the seventh was the Bears’ last chance to score, but the Panthers’ defense remained solid. Burlingame pulled out another 1-2-3 inning to close out the game, 8-0.
Despite solid hits from both teams, Burlingame was able to find gaps throughout the game, but the balls from the Bears landed in the hands of the Panthers. Ultimately, Burlingame came out victorious 8-0, securing their spot as first in the league.
The Bears will play their first round of CCS on Saturday, May 23.
*Lavietani Taufahema is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
