Crescenta Valley and Perri Derrian spoil Burbank's senior night with a 4-0 shutout

The Crescenta Valley Falcons blanked the Burbank Bulldogs 4-0 behind Perri Derrian’s complete game shutout to spoil the senior night party, on a night where six graduating seniors on the Burbank High softball team were honored and celebrated. Derrian struck out 6 batters and allowed 3 hits in her 7 scoreless innings in the pitcher’s circle. Burbank was coming off a 16-5 win on Tuesday, April 9th while Crescenta Valley came off a 7-5 loss to Burroughs on the same day.

Before the first pitch, six graduating seniors from the Burbank High softball team Braelyn Keegan (utility), Belinda Lujano (infielder/outfielder) Abigail Kimmer (infielder/outfielder) team captain Eliza Bowren (/catcher/infielder/outfielder) Kara Valencia (outfielder), and Brieana Tapia (utility) were honored and celebrated with their families in a pregame ceremony to recognize their hard work and dedication to the program for the past four years of their high school careers.

On the softball dirt, Maddison Kellogg and Perry Derrian displayed a pitcher’s duel during the opening three innings of play. In the first inning, Melia Reddy was hit by a pitch as the game’s first base runner. Kellogg was able to recover and retire Alexa Johnson, Jaiden Sabelis, and Perri Derrian to strand Reddy at 1st base. Eliza Bowren recorded the game’s first hit in the bottom of the 1st in hopes for the Bulldogs to get the offense going. Unfortunately for Burbank, Kara Valencia grounded into an inning-ending double play to end hopes of a.

The Falcons jump-started the scoring in the top of the 4th inning with Kate Barnes hitting a 1-out RBI double to score Ariel Beltran. The Bulldogs had a golden opportunity to not only tie the game but break it open when Kayla Orosco hit a 2-out double followed by a 2-out walk by Charlie Barnett and a single by Samantha Cafferty to load the bases. Abigail Kimmer then grounded out to 3rd baseman Mimi Ono to strand the bases full to end the bottom of the 4th inning.

Crescenta Valley added three insurance runs in the top of the 6th inning, starting with a 1-out, 2-run RBI single by Jasmine Hernandez. Kate Barnes recorded an RBI groundout to make the score 4-0. Derrian retired the side in order in the bottom of the 6th for the Falcons and then, Maddison Kellogg followed up by retiring the Falcons to give Burbank a final shot in the bottom of the 7th to get a rally going.

Charley Barnett started off the bottom of the 7th inning with a leadoff walk and then Cafferty hit a single, but a baserunning mistake by Barnett saw her out at 2nd base. Abigail Kimmer grounded out to 1st baseman Carly Muclchaey and Olivia Orosco struck out swinging to end a rough night at the plate for the Bulldogs.

“It was a great game. We put ourselves in the best position to win and had the momentum to win but we gave up way too many free bases,” said Bulldogs head coach Melissa Sanchez. Sanchez noted that she’s seen so much growth from the 6 seniors in Kimmer, Valencia, Lujano, Bowren, and Keegan along with the fine young women they are becoming.

Burbank drops their record to 10-10 overall and 4-2 in Pacific League play, while Crescenta Valley improves their record to 10-10 overall and 5-1 in Pacific League play. The Bulldogs drop from 3rd place to 4th place in the Pacific League and the Falcons move to within a game of first place star-powered Burroughs squad.

Burbank will take on crosstown rival Burroughs on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Olive Park. The graduating seniors from the class of 2024 from the Burroughs Bears softball team will be honored and celebrated with their families before the first pitch in what will also be the final Pacific League game for Burbank’s six graduating seniors. Crescenta Valley will take on Arcadia on the same day with the first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m.