MoVal comes up empty in showdown of two pitchers

FULLERTON >> Both coaches in Friday afternoon’s CIFSS Division 5 baseball championship game were convinced it would be a tight, low-scoring game.

They were exactly right as No. 2 Burbank Burroughs managed only two hits yet eked out a 1-0 victory over top-seeded Moreno Valley at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field.

“This might not be the best team that Burroughs has ever had,” Bears coach Matt Magallon said. “But it is the best actual team of unity, synergy and group that has ever been here. It’s a team that will go down in history at Burroughs and I’m so glad I was a part of it.”

It was Burroughs’ first trip to the CIF-SS finals. Moreno Valley (26-4) was making its third trip to the finals, having lost in the Division 6 finals in 2017 and 2018.

“We had first and second, nobody out and a runner on third at least twice,’ Moreno Valley coach Brad Allcock said. “We had opportunities to score them. This year we’ve done a great job of getting to this position by not striking out and putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense. Today we had too many strikeouts.”

Burroughs’ Gunnar Nichols out-dueled Moreno Valley’s UC Santa Barbara-bound star Frank Camarillo.

Nichols (10-2) scattered five hits, overcame three Bears errors, didn’t walk a batter and struck out 10 in throwing 100 pitches.

“I do my best on the mound no matter what the fielders do,” Nichols said. “If they make an error, I try to pick them up.”

Camarillo (9-1) was equally impressive and more efficient.

Needing only 78 pitches to get through his six innings, Camarillo allowed two hits, one walk while striking out eight.

“He’s the best we’ve probably seen all year,” Magallon admitted.

Burroughs got its first baserunner, both of its hits and the game’s only run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Nathaniel Chapman hit a clean single to center, but was erased on a fielder’s choice when Andrew Chapman tried to bunt him over. But Andrew Chapman stole second and scored on Mason Medina’s two-out single.

“I saw a fastball up and just drove it to right-center field,” Medina said.

“I just had one pitch that kind of caught the plate a little too much,” Camarillo said. “That ended up being the deciding factor.”

“Frank threw a phenomenal game. He was able to get his slider over and get ahead of hitters,” Allcock said. “(He was able to) make guys really uncomfortable up there.”

Moreno Valley stranded a runner on third base in both the fourth and fifth innings.

In the fourth, Camarillo reached on a twobase throwing error with one out and pinchrunner Adam Del Rosario was balked to third with two out. But Nichols struck out Johnny Silva to end the threat.

In the fifth, Hector Rodriguez hit a nubber in front of the plate with two outs and catcher Medina’s throw to first went down the right-field line, sending Rodriguez to third. But Nichols struck out George Banuelos.

The best chance came in the sixth. Aiden Magana singled for the second time in the game to start the inning and Jason Avila followed with a bunt single. But Camarillo hit into a 5-3 double play and Greg Luna struck out.

The Vikings went down in order in the seventh.

“This one definitely stings,” Allcock said. “You’re in it the whole time. You have chances and chances and you don’t capitalize.”