A-K Valley H.S. notebook: Burrell’s 20-run inning ‘unreal’

By: Doug Gulasy
Wednesday, April 24, 2019 | 6:51 PM

Mark Spohn didn’t know how to explain the third inning of Burrell’s nonsection game last week against Highlands.

Neither did Golden Rams counterpart Jeff Campbell.

How best to describe the 20 runs Burrell scored in the frame, erasing a 6-1 deficit in what became a 24-12 victory?

“It turned into a walk-a-thon, with a couple walks, a couple base hits and a lot of runs,” said Spohn, Burrell’s longtime coach, after the Bucs sent 26 batters to the plate, half of whom drew free passes. “We had 20 runs and we only had one out, too. It was unreal.”

Campbell said he dismissed the game as a one-off bizarre occurrence afterward.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Campbell said. “Like Mark said after the game, you’ve just got to have your guys wipe that game out because that wasn’t the true picture of your baseball team.”

Indeed, Highlands (8-5, 4-3) generally excels on the mound. The Golden Rams won their fourth consecutive Section 1-4A game Tuesday, blanking Mt. Pleasant, 2-0, on a two-hitter by Noah Gillette. Highlands is seeking its first playoff trip since 2005.

“We’re pitching well, throwing strikes, keeping our pitch count down and giving ourselves an opportunity to win the game,” Campbell said.

Class 3A No. 5 Burrell (7-2, 4-2) entered Wednesday’s Section 1-3A game against No. 4 Freeport on a three-game winning streak.

“You always want to continue to improve,” Spohn said. “We’re playing pretty good. Get a break here and there, and we could be 6-0 (in section) instead of 4-2. Our whole goal is to try to keep getting better. The kids have a lot of energy in practice.”

A nod for Kirilloff

Alex Kirilloff is getting his own bobblehead.

The Fort Myers Miracle, the high Single-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, will give away bobbleheads of Kirilloff, the former Plum baseball star, to the first 1,000 fans in attendance of their home game Saturday.

Miracle fans, don't miss our first bobblehead giveaway of the season! This Saturday, April 27th the first 1,000 fans in attendance will a receive an Alex Kirilloff (@AKirilloff19) Bobblehead courtesy of Lee Health. Gates open at 5:00PM on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/ov9YZPOz9A

— Fort Myers Miracle (@MiracleBaseball) April 22, 2019

Kirilloff, the Twins’ 2016 first-round draft pick, spent the second half of the 2018 season with the Miracle, hitting .362 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs in 65 games. For the full season he hit .348 with 20 homers and 101 RBIs.

Kirilloff was assigned to the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos but hasn’t playedthis season as he recovers from a wrist injury.

Recruiting notes

Deer Lakes baseball player Cory Newman committed to Bethany. Newman, an infielder, is hitting .333 with one double and eight RBIs for the Section 1-3A-leading Lancers.

Burrell girls basketball player Grace Omecinski committed to Bethany. She averaged 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds this season.

Doug Gulasy is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Doug at 412-388-5830, dgulasy@tribweb.com or via Twitter .

Tags: Burrell, Highlands