A genuine duel broke out as senior Presley Miraglia and junior Alyssa Porras matched skills in the pitcher’s circle in a Pacific League match on Thursday.
Inning after inning, neither allowed a run until the fourth when an unearned tally crossed the plate, but that was enough for Miraglia as Burroughs High edged Burbank 1-0 on a windy night at McCambridge Park.
“This type of game, it’s basically going to be, whoever is going to make the first major error to get that run across,” Burroughs coach Wes Tanigawa said of the tight battle. “That’s what it’s going to come down to.”
That fateful frame began when Porras retired senior Hannah Talavera on a fly to left field.
Junior Mia Storer singled to center field and sophomore Chloe Bookmyer flied to left.
Miraglia, who was making her second start of the season after getting her grade-point average in order, singled up the middle as Storer took second base.
Senior Jessica Amaya reached on an error as Storer took third and scored to make it 1-0.
Porras then induced junior Megan Williams to fly out to right field that ended the inning.
Miraglia was sharp, allowing four hits across seven innings, striking out 13 and issuing no walks.
“Errors happen. I didn’t think we had a problem fielding,” said Miraglia of the bottom half of the initial inning.
Miraglia was on the money with her pitches and felt confident.
“I felt a lot stronger today,” she said. “I was working on my spin. I was always taught to put my changeup later. I like to go to my changeup later in the game.”
Porras also went seven frames, fanning three and yielding seven hits with no walks.
“We’re usually a pretty solid defensive team,” Burbank coach Mike Delaney said of the fourth inning. “You have to rebound. It’s part of the game. I’ll take our infield against anybody.”
Delaney then added: “A lot of our scoring opportunities came with two out,” he said. “When you get to two outs, it takes away a lot of your offense. We worked hard to pass the bat through our lineup. Presley pitched a good game, but we chased.”
Miraglia retired the side 1-2-3 in the third, fourth and sixth innings and struck out 10 after five frames.
The game began with Talavera reaching base on a wind-assisted infield single as the popup wasn’t fielded.
Storer then lined out to right field and Bookmyer bounced into an inning-ending double play.
The Bulldogs (8-7 and 4-2 in league) sent five to the plate in the first as junior Amaya Broyls singled to left field with one out.
Junior Sarah Garelick laid down a sacrifice bunt as Broyls went to second and then third base after senior Anysia Gonzalez was safe on an error.
Miraglia, who has shown no rust after missing the early portion of the schedule, has 21 strikeouts in 14 innings, struck out senior Macie Jensen to end the threat.
Porras set down the Indians (6-3-1 and 5-1 in league) in order in the second as Miraglia grounded out and Amaya fanned looking while Williams grounded out.
Miraglia struck out senior Erin Lashkari and senior Bene Snyder to begin the second inning.
Junior Desi Gomez then reached an a wind-helped infield pop, but the frame concluded when sophomore Katie Treadway struck out swinging.
Porras was brilliant in the third as senior Nikki Riccardella popped up, junior Citlali Mendez grounded out and sophomore Memorie Munoz struck out.
Miraglia answered as she set down the Bulldogs in order, fanning junior Alex Davis, then getting Broyls and Garelick on infield popups.
It was more of the same in the fourth for Burbank as Gonzalez fanned, while Jensen flied out to right field and Lashkari popped up.
The Indians went down 1-2-3 in the fifth as Riccardella popped up, Mendez flied out to center field and Munoz grounded out.
The bottom of the fifth inning saw Miraglia strike out the side as Snyder went down looking, Gomez swinging and Davis swinging.
Treadway, the third batter in the frame, singled to left center and stole second base.
Six batters trotted to the plate in the sixth for the Indians with Talavera getting a leadoff single to right center. Storer was safe on an error and Bookmyer singled up the middle.
Porras retired Miraglia on a liner back to the box, Amaya reached on a force out and Williams lined out to left field.
The Bulldogs did nothing against Miraglia in the sixth as Broyls grounded out, Garelick lined out to right field and Gonzalez struck out swinging.
Pinch hitter, junior Kaitlin Escamilla, singled to right field for the Indians in the seventh, but sophomore Isabella Kam, a pinch hitter, struck out.
Munoz fouled out to the catcher, Talavera singled up the middle for her third hit, but Storer grounded out.
Miraglia faced four hitters in the seventh as Jansen fanned looking, Lashkari then singled to right center.
Pinch hitter, senior Allie Benson, struck out swinging and Gomez flied out to right field in foul territory for the final out.