Burlingame baseball sets school record with 16-run inning

Burlingame batted around three times in the explosive second frame and sent 21 batters to the plate. The 16-run total broke the previous program record of 15 runs in an inning in a 2003 game against Aragon, according to Burlingame statistician Tyler Jamieson.

“That inning was a blur,” Burlingame manager Shawn Scott said.

Dexter Quisol got the whole blur started with a leadoff triple. Then the big swing of the bat came from junior Lou Martineau, who raked an inside-the-park home run into the right field corner to make it 6-0.

The entire inning hinged on Martineau’s running legs, as Terra Nova’s relay throw to the plate got there just ahead of the speedy junior. The catcher could not come up with the ball, however, allowing Martineau to slide in safely.

“It was very close,” Scott said. “If he held onto the ball, he probably was out.”

Burlingame went on to produce 12 hits in the innings, while Terra Nova committed three errors.

Scott was quick to point out the disparity between the amount of time Burlingame and Terra Nova have had to practice. With Terra Nova in the Jefferson Union High School District, the baseball team was only cleared to practice two weeks previous to opening day, whereas Burlingame hit the field for its first official practice Feb. 15.

“I think it was the overall work we were able to put, and the amount of work they weren’t able to put in,” Scott said.

The disparity showed up in the pitching line as well, as Burlingame right-handers Max Alvira and Josh Coleman combined for a three-hit shutout in the five-inning affair.

Alvira got the opening-day nod. The senior worked three innings, allowing three hits while strike out six.

“He threw a lot of strikes, a lot of groundball contact, a lot of lazy flyball contact,” Scott said. “He pitched well.”

Coleman, a junior making his varsity debut, emerged in the fourth and allowed no hits and one walk while striking out five. Over the past two years with the junior-varsity team, Coleman made just one pitching appearance in May 2019. Since then, he’s been injury plagued, according to Scott, but used the past year to rehabilitate his way into his first varsity outing.

“The downtime with the COVID, he used it to get himself stronger,” Scott said. “He put the work in and had himself a successful night.”

Terra Nova’s new manager Vic Messer has previously coached at Westmoor and at El Camino. Monday marked his first game at the helm of the Tigers.

“I think it just caught them off guard,” Scott said. “Even though Vic was doing his job as a coach … I think it just caught them off guard.”