Morgan Hill – Just as they had on many occasions this season, the No. 8 Acorns could only shake their heads after seeing their season end Thursday. The Live Oak baseball team fell behind early against visiting Burlingame in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs and never recovered, falling 3-1.
“It’s frustrating. We hit some balls right at people,” Live Oak coach Mark Cummins said. “We gave them too many free runs and had some mental mistakes. Mental mistakes get magnified during the playoffs. That is kind of the way our season went.”
Aided by an Acorns’ fielding error, No. 9 Burlingame got off to an early lead in the first inning. Live Oak starter Blaine Sutton walked the first Panthers’ batter, Josh Weisman, who advanced to third on teammate Paul Fergosi’s bunt up the first-base line. Fergosi reached base safely on a low throw to first.
With runners on first and third and no outs, Sutton struck out Panther Trevor Pasiecznik. Burlingame’s starting pitcher Steve Riddle followed by drilling a two-run double to deep centerfield, putting the Panthers up 2-0. Then Adam Chickman singled to left, but Acorns left fielder Stephen Smith held the runner at third base with a quick throw back to the infield. Sutton settled down to strike out the next two batters to get Live Oak out of the inning with no further damage.
The Acorns’ offense answered with a run of its own in the bottom of the first. Brenden Flaherty crushed a leadoff double over the head of the Panthers’ left fielder. Matt Cummins then singled through the middle. With runners on first and third and no outs, Kyle Mosbrucker drove in Flaherty with an infield single that the Burlingame shortstop could not handle, to pull Live Oak within 2-1.
The Acorns looked primed to score even more runs, but Riddle induced a controversial double play on Nick Bonfiglio’s fielder’s choice grounder to third. On the play, the Panthers’ third baseman came in to glove the ball and swept a tag at Cummins on his way to third and then threw to second for the force out on Mosbrucker. Cummins appeared to avoid the tag, but was called out by the umpire. Riddle then got Chris Barber to ground out to end the Acorns’ threat.
Live Oak and Burlingame’s pitchers and defenses kept the hitters in check until the top of the sixth, when the Panthers added an insurance run.
“It’s a little disappointing. In the end of the season came up a little short,” said Mosbrucker, who is headed to the University of Arizona next year.
