No. 4 Burlington tests young Trojans

A pair of eighth-grade pitchers were thrown into the fire against Class 4A fourth-ranked Burlington, and the Grayhound bats responded.

Burlington racked up a combined 30 runs on 39 hits to sweep a doubleheader at Fairfield Wednesday night. The Grayhounds won game one 15-2 and wrapped up the 4.5-hour doubleheader with a 15-7 victory in the nightcap.

Fairfield starter Haley Grunwald took a line drive to the leg in the second inning of the opening game and did not return. Mackenzie McClure pitched the remainder of game one, and Jolea Burkhart went the distance against a loaded Burlington lineup in game two.

?Obviously, that?s going to be tough. Especially when you?re not really warmed up and ready to go,? said Fairfield head coach Bob Bradfield. ?Both pitched well, but it was just kind of a matter of time before Burlington got to them. Playing a team like that, it?s going to be tough to throw two eighth-graders and have much of a chance.?

Burlington scored 10 runs in the final two innings to blow open game one, and the bats remained hot heading into the second game. Katie Oleson led off the nightcap with with a home run to centerfield, and Miranda Kramer blasted a three-run shot three batters later ? her second dinger of the night ? over the concession stand beyond the right-field fence.

Marisa Repp answered with a two RBI double to plate Tori Ogden and Katie Anderson, and also helped tie the game 5-5 by driving in two more in the bottom of the third.

But the Grayhounds started taking more big swings on the offerings from Fairfield starter Jolea Burkhart and came up with an eight-run fifth inning to all but seal the win.

The Trojans avoided the 10-run rule with a two-out rally in the sixth as Anderson started a string of five straight getting on base.

Anderson, Ogden and Repp all had mult-hit games to lead the way at the plate with Repp finishing with four runs batted in.

In game one, Sydney Burnett was 3-4, but those were the only hits the Trojans scraped together against Grayhound starter Miranda Kramer. Burnett came around to score in both the first and third innings against the ace who is undefeated this season.

Thanks to Burnett?s score in the bottom of the first, Grunwald exited with a 1-0 lead, but handed the ball to McClure with runners on first and third with one out. McClure held Burlington in check before the flood gates opened late.

McClure gave up 15 hits and struck out one over the final 5 2/3 innings.

The Trojans will next play at WACO Friday night. Bradfield hopes to have Grunwald back, but says he won?t force anything considering a 12-game week beginning Monday is looming.

Fairfield vs. Burlington

Burlington ? 0 1 3 0 1 6 4 ? 15 19 1

Fairfield ? 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 ? 2 3 3

FAIRFIELD ? Burnett 3-4, 2B, 2R; Anderson 0-1, 2BB; Ogden 0-3, RBI; Craff 0-3; Repp 0-3; Neil 0-3; H. Williams 0-1, BB; Schwarz 0-2; Metcalf 0-2; K. Williams 0-1; Manning 0-1; Burkhart BB

Pitching ? Grunwald 1.1 INN, 4H, ER; McClure (L) 5.2 INN, 15H, 3BB, K, 6ER

Fairfield vs. Burlington

Burlington ? 4 1 0 1 8 1 0 ? 15 20 3

Fairfield ? 2 0 3 0 0 2 0 ? 7 11 3

FAIRFIELD ? Burnett 1-3, 2BB, R; Anderson 2-5, 2R; Ogden 2-3, 2R; Craff 1-2, BB; Repp 2-4, 2B, 4RBI, R; H. Williams 0-3, BB; Schwarz 1-3, RBI; McClure 1-4, RBI; K. Williams 0-4; Gridley BB, R; Manning 1-1

Pitching ? Brukhart (L) 7 INN, 20H, 3BB, K, 10ER