No one was more glad to see junior pitcher Chelsea Burwasser back on the mound Thursday against host Roland Park Country School than Park coach Bruce Hamilton.

After all, the Bruins began the season with successive losses to Lutheran and Chapelgate before Burwasser came to the rescue.

She helped them forget about their slow start by striking out 16 in a three-hit 6-0 victory over the Reds (1-2) in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland C Conference game.

Burwasser, who didn’t lose a game last season for the defending conference champions, had a no-hitter going for 4 2/3 innings.

“She has been away from the game for three weeks because of an illness, followed by a death in her family,” Hamilton said. “So she only got back to pitching about three days ago. That means it was an amazing performance.”

Burwasser (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) helped her own cause in the first inning, driving in leadoff hitter Amy Livington with a two-out single to right for the first run.

Back on the hill, Burwasser was just as productive, fanning six straight Reds.

Then the Bruins pushed across four more runs in the third off Roland Park freshman pitcher Jennifer Newman.

Nikki Casper laced a double to knock in a run and Burwasser smacked a run-scoring triple to highlight the uprising.

The 5-0 lead was more than enough for Burwasser, although Sydney Ramer broke up the no-hit bid with a single to right in the fifth that eluded second-baseman Casper’s desperate attempt at a diving stab.

Casper (3-for-3, 2 RBIs) finished the scoring, knocking in Livington on a single to center in the sixth.

Burwasser still looked strong in the last two innings by striking out four more Reds.

“She will get better,” Hamilton said. “She will have more control and more speed.” 
 
 

---

user comments (0)