History indicates there are multiple connections between two great American presidents, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy.
So it seemed fitting that the Indians of John Burroughs High School were at J. F. Kennedy High School for round two of the Lincoln Tournament.
The Indians were scheduled for a double header, with game one against the Knights of Los Angeles Baptist (LAB) High School.
On the mound for the Indians was
Shelly Klawitter, with
Katie Budrick behind the plate. Klawitter struck out the first LAB batter, gave up a single to the second batter, and was backed up by the defense for outs two and three.
Burroughs started its half of the inning on an ominous note as
Cassie Colón and
Casey Reichelderfer struck out. With two outs,
Kerry Hodgins singled on a "slap" toward third base.
Taylor Buliavac doubled; Budrick and
Emily Odio reached on errors by the Knight's defense.
When the dust settled, Burroughs was leading 3-0.
The second inning was uneventful for both teams as LAB went down in order and the Indians sent five batters to the plate without scoring.
The third inning was a repeat for LAB as four batters faced Klawitter, but failed to improve on a single by
Jazmin Rodriguez. The Indians had five batters in the inning and scored when Buliavac singled, followed by a single from Budrick and
Vanessa Simile (who received the RBI), allowing Buliavac to cross home plate.
Behind 4-0, LAB mounted its only offense of the game as Klawitter walked the lead-off batter then gave up a double in the top of the fourth inning. Three batters later, LAB had reduced the gap to 4-2.
Bri Casillas started off the inning for Burroughs with a solid hit to center field, but it was caught for out number one. Colón and Reichelderfer singled, while Hodgins reached on a fielder's choice (Colón was out on the force). This set the stage for Buliavac who hit her first home run of the season (3 for 4 in the game), recording three RBIs in the process. Budrick struck out to end the inning.
Burroughs now led 7-2.
LAB managed five batters and a single, in the top of the fifth inning, but was unable to produce a run. Burroughs saw eight batters add three more runs to their tally with three walks and two singles.
The sixth and final inning of the game offered the last chance for the Knights to pull out a win. The lead-off batter reached first base on an error, but was thrown out on a force at second base. Two batters later, the Indians closed the door on their second victory of the season, 10-2.
The Indians (2-2) were matched against the Cougars of Kennedy High School (tournament host) for game two on the day.
In an unusual move, Kennedy requested Burroughs vacate the home dugout, forcing them to move their gear to the opposite side. Indians coach
Steven Garcia decided to mix things up a bit as he started five underclassmen against the Cougars.
In the first inning, the Cougars scored two runs on two singles and a double while the Indians went down in order. The second inning had Kennedy going down 1-2-3; Burroughs managed one runner when Buliavac reached first base after being hit by a pitch. The next three Indians struck out, leaving Burroughs behind in the game 2-0.
The third inning offered some drama between coach Garcia and two Indians' players.
Liz Hanna was pulled after committing two errors in the game, which resulted in Kennedy runs;
Cassie Colón was yanked as a disciplinary measure when Garcia felt she was mentally out of the game.
They say change is inevitable (as well as constant). The moves by coach Garcia were made to wake up the Indians and get some offense going.
However, after seven innings of play the Indians went down in defeat, losing to Kennedy 8-0. In the game, the Indians left seven runners on the bag, had four singles, two walks, and a season high 15 strikeouts.
Burroughs (2-3) enters Pacific League play on Tuesday as its faces the Tornadoes (2-3) of Hoover High School (Glendale).