An amazing BHS baseball season came to a hugely successful conclusion tonight at the San Jose Municipal stadium as the Panthers knocked off a Palo Alto high school team that was on a 23-game winning streak. The Central Coast Sectional championships include teams from S.F. to Monterey in 3 divisions based on the size of the schools. 16 teams make the Sectionals in each division and only one wins four games in a row to take it all--this year it is the Panthers.
I've been watching Panther baseball closely for the last four years and it is clear to me that the secret sauce this year has been the defense. Tonight's win featured great pitching by D.J. Sharabi, who got the win, and Zach Grotz who got the save. It also featured a 5-run B'game explosion in the top of the 1st inning which has been rare for this team. But the three double plays and error-free play for the whole game was the key. The 5-run gut punch in the 1st was bookended by a somersaulting 9-3 double play by co-captain Forrest Armanino to end the game like a lightning strike. The Panthers did not make a single fielding error in all four games!
Four error-free games leading to a championship is a coach's dream and may have been the deciding factor in head coach Rich Sciutto announcing his retirement on the bus ride back to B'game. Scuitto and assistant coaches Ray Mellado and Joe McKane will step down from the top step in 2010 and let a younger generation of coaches guide the Panthers from here. Ladies and gents here are your 2010 Division 2 CCS champion Burlingame Panthers at today's introduction with Coach Sciutto (#32)
And here is the dogpile after the game-ending double play courtesy of local photog Mark Hundley and his giant Nikon
I am happy for them.
Who cares?
Posted by: Holyroller | May 30, 2010 at 05:54 PM
Upon further review, Zach Grotz was covering 1st base on the game ending DP, so the correct scoring would be 9-1. Not something you see everyday!
I take it you are not a baseball fan, Holy Roller?
Posted by: Joe | May 30, 2010 at 06:04 PM
So cool. Congrats to all.
Posted by: alittlebird | May 30, 2010 at 09:15 PM
Happy kids- congratulations!
Posted by: BoogeyMan | May 31, 2010 at 03:37 PM
Here's nice recognition for one of the team co-captains from the Daily Journal
Hard-core baseball people believe statistics can be manipulated in so many ways as to render them virtually useless in assessing a player. What’s the old saying: There are lies, damn lies and statistics?
Sometimes, however, stats give an indication of just how dominating a baseball player is. Take the case of recent Burlingame graduate, pitcher Forrest Armanino, the 2010 Daily Journal Baseball Player of the Year. Armanino made 14 appearances, including 12 starts and went 11-0. He had an earned run average of 1.12. In 68 innings pitched, he allowed only 38 hits, struck out 80 while walking 38, a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that would make any pitcher envious. He threw three complete games, two shutouts and threw a one-hitter against Aragon. And perhaps his most impressive stat: Allowed only five extra-base hits — one homer, one triple and five doubles.
The full article is at https://www.smdailyjournal.com/article_preview.php?type=sports&title=Baseball%20Player%20of%20the%20Year%20-%20Forrest%20Armanino&id=133638
Posted by: Joe | June 15, 2010 at 10:42 AM