Burbank’s Strategy Backfires in Loss to Halcovich, Hart

Members of the Hart High baseball team could hardly believe what they were seeing.

With two out in the top of the 10th inning and Hart’s Doug Distaso at second base Tuesday, Burbank Coach Dave Johnson allowed pitcher Jeff Kadis to intentionally walk the batter, John Aguilar.

Standing on deck was cleanup hitter Keith Halcovich, a two-time All-Foothill League selection and Hart’s top hitter.

“I was kind of shocked,” Hart Coach Bud Murray said.

So was Halcovich, who was batting .459 and was four for seven with two out and runners in scoring position entering the game.

“I was surprised,” he said, “but that was fine with me. I thought it was great hitting with men on and a chance to bring people home.”

And Halcovich capitalized on his opportunity, tripling down the right-field line to score both runners and give Hart a 5-2 victory in a Foothill League game at Northwest Park in Burbank.

The win kept Hart (9-5, 5-2 in league play) 1 1/2 games behind Schurr in the Foothill League standings. Burbank fell to 9-5, 5-3.

“Hindsight is 20-20, but you have to give (Halcovich) credit,” Johnson said. “I asked (Kadis) who he wanted to pitch to and he wanted the next batter. The go-ahead run was already in scoring position and (the walk) would set up the force.

“It turned out to be a bad decision.”

Distaso started the two-out rally by reaching base on a bobbled fly ball. He then stole second before Aguilar was walked. After Halcovich’s triple, Shane O’Brien singled in the final run for Hart.

Halcovich, who has been hampered by a shoulder injury for much of the season, also stood out on the mound, coming on in relief of R. J. Simone in the seventh to pick up the victory. It was the first mound appearance since March 9 for Halcovich (1-2).

Simone took a no-hitter and a 2-0 lead into the seventh but walked the leadoff hitter and gave up consecutive singles, including a run-scoring hit by Joon Kwon.

That brought on Halcovich, who gave up Shad Ortiz’s game-tying sacrifice fly.