Panguitch claims 1A baseball crown

OREM — Rawley Burningham has not had many opportunities to pitch this year for the Panguitch baseball team. After allowing only one run against Waterford early in the season, Burningham struggled with his command during a portion of the 1A season and only threw for five innings one out of every four games.

But on Saturday, Burningham, only a junior, pitched his team to the 1A state baseball championship by throwing six innings, striking out five and allowing only six hits in a 3-1 win over Waterford.

"We felt like he was the only kid who had the stuff to shoot them down," Panguitch coach Clint Barney said. That was exactly what he did.

Burningham entered the game in the second inning after Bobcat ace Scott Barney gave up Waterford's only run in the first inning on an RBI single by Paul Williams. After the first inning no Waterford runner advanced past second base.

"I was on the team as a freshman that was beat by Valley," Burningham said. "There was no way I was going to get beat again. It was way too hard."

What was even harder for Panguitch during the first four innings was scoring runs. Williams, Waterford's ace, allowed only four hits for the game and two in the first four innings to keep the Bobcats scoreless.

Even though Panguitch's offense struggled to hit off Williams, Barney knew his defense would keep his team in the game.

"We've got a good enough defense that we feel we can stay in any ball game," Barney said.

Finally in the fifth inning the Bobcat offense found just enough to score three runs off Williams on two hits and one error. Landon Eldredge started the inning off by reaching base on a throwing error by Waterford's Cliff Synder. The next batter later, Panguitch's No. 9 batter Justin Bateman, cranked a triple to the right field fence allowing Eldredge to score and tie the game at one.

"He's a great low ball hitter and he just railed it," Barney said. "I think it shook them up a little bit. That gave us that cushion we needed."

Bateman and Ford Stewart scored the Bobcats' two remaining runs in the fifth inning.

Waterford had runners on first and second in the sixth and seventh innings, but Burningham struck out three batters to keep the Ravens scoreless.

With two outs and runners on first and second in the top of the seventh, Burningham struck out Williams looking to end the game.

"How sweet it is for Rawley to face one of the best hitters in 1A baseball in Williams," Barney said. "That's the way it ought to come down to."

Burningham agreed by saying, "That's who I wanted to go against." This is Waterford's second straight year losing in the state championship game.

"We've made progress," Ravens coach Rand Rasmussen said. "Now we just have to figure out how to open the door and walk through it for once. Finishing second two years in a row is getting a little old. It's nice to know we're right in it at the end though. Anytime a team beats you three times, they are the best team."