Baseball Recap: Leadership Sets Scoring Season-High Against Burton

Leadership had lost four straight at home dating back to last season, but on Thursday they dropped their record down to 0-7 to make it five. They lost 13-4 to the Burton Pumas. On the bright side, the four- run effort marked the Griffin's highest-scoring matchup to date.

As for Burton, they are on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. Considering they have won 11 games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.

For Burton's part, Christian Pabalate made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Pabalate has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with seven stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI. Burton is 11-3 when Pabalate posts two or more runs, but 1-2 otherwise.

In other batting news, Zimry Rucker and Ryan Perez Say did most of the damage at the plate: Rucker got on base in two of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs, while Perez Say got on base in three of his four plate appearances with five stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Rucker is becoming a predictor of Burton's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Elijah Alferez also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

We've got plenty of inter-league action coming up soon. Leadership will challenge rival Wallenberg at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Burton is set to face off against their familiar foe Galileo at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.