By Rick Assad
Whether on the mound or in the batter’s box, senior flame-thrower Devin Whittekiend had a night to remember for the Burroughs High baseball team.
Whittekiend tossed a complete-game shutout versus visiting Muir on Tuesday night and helped his team to an impressive 6-0 victory in a Pacific League game.
The tall and powerful right-handed pitcher struck out 12 and yielded two hits with one hit batter across seven frames.
At the plate, Whittekiend accounted for three hits that included a three-run homer in the fourth inning and added two singles with one hit contributing a run.
Whittekiend retired 14 consecutive batters before he allowed his initial hit with two out in the fifth inning to Sergio Rodriguez but then fanned Noah Hunziker looking.
In the sixth frame, Whittekiend surrendered a one-out single to Khalil Rishwain, but retired Eduardo Sosa on a foul to the third baseman and then saw Gianluca Cano fly to center field.
The Bears (9-2 and 5-0 in league) scored two runs in the opening frame as seven batters came to home plate.
Junior Slater Mersola was safe on an infield single and after moving to second base on a passed ball, scored on a run batted in single to left center field from Whittekiend, who later in the inning also scored to make it 2-0.
After a solo run in the third inning, the Bears moved ahead 3-0 as seven hitters came to the plate.
Whittekiend led off with a single to center field, then stole second base, moved to third base on a single to right from junior Jake Rauenswinder and crossed the plate on the throw.
Burroughs ended any hope the Mustangs (3-6 and 0-6 in league) had of rallying when junior Elliot Ross opened the fourth frame with a single to left field and took second base on a walk to Mersola.
Up walked Whittekiend, who promptly belted a fastball over the left-field fence for a 6-0 cushion.
Senior Thomas Martin singled to center field in the fourth for Burroughs and senior Zack Guevara opened the fifth inning with a single to center field but was erased on a force out.
Whittekiend tossed a 1-2-3 opening frame and fanned Bryant Soriano.
Two more strikeouts followed in a perfect second inning as Will Rodriguez and Sergio Rodriguez both went down swinging as Whittekiend was dealing.
Two more Mustang batters fanned during a 1-2-3 third inning as Brandon Figueroa whiffed looking and Franklin Kolton fanned swinging against Whittekiend.
Rishwain struck out looking and Cano whiffed swinging during a perfect fourth inning as Whittekiend was dominant.
Ezekiel Rodriguez struck out looking in the fifth while Will Rodriguez fanned swinging as did the last batter of the frame as Whittekiend faced four batters.
Figueroa whiffed swinging in the sixth and Will Rodriguez struck out looking in the seventh inning against Whittekiend who worked his fifth perfect frame.
