Burke Throws One-Hit Shutout in West Shore Twilight League
July 11, 2007
SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. - Shippensburg baseball rising junior Andrew Burke (Fayetteville/Chambersburg) allowed just one-hit while striking out 12 as his Shippensburg Stars defeated the Cumberland Dodgers 8-0 Monday night at Carlisle High School's George Bowen Field in the West Shore Twilight Baseball League (WSTBL).
Burke faced the minimum number of batters through the first three innings as the Stars held a 1-0 lead and it wasn't until the bottom of the fourth that the Dodgers recorded their first hit, a double to center by Eric Rosenberger.
Shippensburg would add a run in the sixth and six runs in the top of the seventh en route to its seventh victory of the season that moved the Stars (7-16) into the eighth and final spot in the league playoff race. The WSTBL playoffs begin on Monday, July 30.
"We got a win," said Burke. "We played a pretty good game today, defense did well and we got hits when we needed them. It's definitely good (to have a strong defense behind me). I don't have to try to strike every batter out. I think I was trying to do that too much this year." - courtesy Shippensburg Sentinel
Burke's 12 strikeouts were one short of his season-high of 13 set in a 4-3 loss at home to Cumberland on June 28. In his last three starts, Burke has totaled 35 strikeouts while posting a 2-1 record with a 1.67 ERA. He currently leads the WSTBL in strikeouts with 60, seven ahead of Adam Koppenhaver of Dauphin who is second with 53.
Burke also leads the league in complete games (6) while ranking third in games started (7), third in innings pitched (45.1) and fourth in appearances (8). His three wins and 2.94 ERA are also team-highs.
As a sophomore this past season for the Red Raiders, Burke tied sophomore Matt Wright (McClure/Mid-West) for the team-lead in both wins and appearances with six and 14, respectively. He finished the season with a 6-4 record, 40 strikeouts and a 5.19 ERA in 52.0 innings pitched.
One of Burke's six victories this year came on May 4 in a 4-1 victory over East Stroudsburg in the PSAC Baseball Championship. He pitched a career-high 9.0 innings while striking out 11 batters to help Shippensburg avoid elimination en route to the team's 14th PSAC championship and third in the last eight years.
In addition to his one-hit shutout on Monday, Burke also went 2-for-4 at the plate, reaching base on all four at-bats. On the season, he is batting .298 with 14 hits in 47 at-bats while leading the team in RBIs with 13.
For more information on the West Shore Twilight Basbeall League, click here. From the league web site, fans can access league standings and team web sites which contain schedules, results and statistics.
Other Current and Former Red Raiders in the West Shore Twilight Baseball League
Joining Burke on the Stars' roster is current Shippensburg teammate, red-shirt junior Brian Emerich (Mertztown/Brandywine). Emerich has appeared in eight games for the Stars, including five as a pitcher. As of Monday, he is batting .333 with nine hits in 27 at-bats, along with two doubles, a home run and five RBIs.
In five appearances as a pitcher, including two starts, Emerich is 0-2 with a 3.50 ERA and seven strikeouts in 12.0 innings.
Also on the Stars' roster is former Red Raider Nathan Jones '07 who leads the team with a .459 average and 13 RBIs in 12 games. He has also appeared in three games as a pitcher, totaling a 3.94 ERA and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings.
Last season with the Red Raiders, Jones ended his final season with a record of 2-2 with a 2.81 ERA in six appearances and four starts. He allowed just seven hits and struck out 12 in 16.0 innings while holding opponents to a mere .135 batting average.
Jones appeared in 33 games for the Red Raiders in his career, totaling a 7-6 record, one save and 52 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. As a junior in 2006, he was 5.1 in six starts and nine appearances.
Two other Shippensburg standouts are also doing well in the WSTBL this season in Lee McClintock '05 and Jamie Mengle '07.
In five starts this season for the Mechanicsburg Cardinals, McClintock leads the league in ERA at 0.92 while ranking third in strikeouts (49), third in complete games (5) and fourth in wins (5). The Shippensburg career leader in wins (28), innings pitched (285.0) and strikeouts (241), McClintock has totaled 11 or more strikeouts in three of his five starts this season.
Meanwhile, Mengle is batting .289 in 17 games for the Central Penn Orioles, totaling 13 hits in 45 at-bats with five doubles and 10 RBIs. He finished his senior season with the Red Raiders this past spring by hitting .202 with four doubles, two triples, a team-high four home runs and 16 RBIs.
For his career, Mengle batted .251 with 20 doubles, four triples, 20 home runs and 86 RBIs. As a junior in 2006, he hit a career-best .326 with a team-high 10 home runs, a mark that is eighth on the school's single-season home run list.
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