Burgess’ Bat, Arm Sparks South Plantation Over Piper 10-0

South Plantation junior pitcher Brandon Burgess knows that it usually just takes one hit to get their offense going.

It was Burgess who started the Paladins bats swinging Thursday afternoon with a two-run home run to center field in the top of the first inning.

The South Plantation offense never looked back as it blanked Piper 10-0 in a crucial District 11-6A contest played at South Plantation High.

The victory moves the Paladins (6-10) to 5-4 in the district, and also gives them the tie-breaker with the Bengals should they both finish with the same district record. South Plantation also defeated Piper 8-5 earlier in the season, but the Bengals still hold a slight lead for third place with a 6-4 district record.

“With our team, one hit leads to another and it just takes a spark,” said Burgess. “It felt pretty good to be the one to start it today.”

Senior outfielder John Kennedy added a two-run homer in the second inning, then helped to put the game away with a bases-loaded double that scored three in the third inning. He finished 2 for 3 with four RBI, two runs and a stolen base.

The Paladins erased any hopes of a comeback after that, piling on six total runs in the third while chasing Piper starter Colby Costanzo after only 77 pitches. Following Kennedy’s double, Mike Giordano walked and Ben Osbourne singled to bring up Burgess with the bases loaded. He responded with a bloop flare into shallow right field that plated two more.

Burgess finished 2 for 3 with four RBI and two runs scored.

Not to be overlooked was his performance on the mound, where he allowed only two singles while recording nine strikeouts on 75 pitches to improve to 4-4 on the season.

Although Burgess was far from dominant, South Plantation coach Dustin Major felt this was perhaps his best outing of the season simply because of those circumstances.

“We preach to our pitchers all the time that they won’t have their best stuff everyday, and they’ll have to figure out how to get the win,” said Major. “Burgess kept the ball down and his fielders made plays for him. This was big on our part because it gets our confidence back.”

Piper (7-7) entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the county, riding a five game winning streak and coming off a no-hitter thrown by Julio Queones in their last win over Stranahan.

But the Bengals offense was quieted, as Abraham Alejandro and Costanzo were the only players to record a hit.

Costanzo recorded three strikeouts on the mound while dropping to 3-2 on the season.

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