Burbank Baseball Beats Glendale 16-11, Ends 5-Game Skid

Burbank High’s baseball team ended a rough stretch Tuesday, beating host Glendale 16-11 in a Pacific League slugfest that had both offenses swinging freely from the first pitch.

The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Bulldogs, who improved to 2-9-1 overall and 2-4-1 in league play. The two teams combined for 27 runs, 23 hits, and 14 walks across seven innings. Glendale fell to 2-14 on the season and 0-7 in league.

Burbank came out swinging in the first inning. Seven batters came to the plate in a three-run, three-hit frame. Senior Ryland Le Clair slapped a two-run single to right field, and sophomore Mason Schwartz followed with an RBI single up the middle to put the Bulldogs ahead 3-0.

Glendale cut it to 3-1 on a Hunter Knowles sacrifice fly, but Burbank answered with a six-run third inning that effectively took control of the game. The big blow came from senior Julian Recinos, who rifled a three-run triple to right center. Sophomore Luka Kuiper added an RBI single to center, senior Tomas Angel knocked in a run with a single to right, and junior Ezekiel Canto contributed an RBI infield hit. Senior Andru Machado led off the inning with a single to center and came around to score.

Recinos stayed hot throughout. He finished with two triples and three RBIs. Longtime Burbank head coach Bob Hart did not hesitate when asked what stood out.

“Julian Recinos had two triples and those stood out to me,” Hart said.

Angel matched Recinos in the RBI column with three of his own, adding a two-run triple in the sixth inning as ten Bulldogs came to bat in that frame and five crossed the plate. Schwartz finished with three singles and an RBI. The Bulldogs kept adding runs in the fourth, when Kuiper singled up the middle and scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 10-4, and again in the fifth when Recinos lined a triple to right and came home on another wild pitch.

Hart was largely satisfied with the performance, though he acknowledged the team did not play a clean game from wire to wire.

“I thought we played well early and then let up,” he said. “We struggled on the hill, but we played pretty good defense.”

Glendale coach John Botelho credited Burbank for its approach at the plate.

“Burbank came to swing the bat today,” Botelho said. “Coach Hart always has his kids ready to go but they had the right approach at the plate today. They hit the ball hard and good things happened for them.”

The Nitros did not go quietly. Maniel Manuelian went 1-for-the-day with a single, a double, and four RBIs for Glendale, and Allen Corwin added a two-run single. The Nitros scored runs in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings, keeping the game from getting out of hand earlier.

Burbank sophomore Geo Grair singled to open the seventh inning and scored a run, providing some insurance as the Bulldogs closed out the win.

The two teams meet again Friday, this time at Burbank. The Bulldogs will look to build on Tuesday’s offensive output and address the pitching inconsistencies Hart pointed to before they host the Nitros for the rematch.

Originally reported by MyBurbank.