Miraglia pitches Burroughs softball to win in playoff opener
BURBANK — Burroughs High pitcher Presley Miraglia admitted she was nervous in the early going of her team’s CIF Southern Section Division III first-round game Thursday afternoon against Tesoro.
“The first inning I was a little nervous, it being the playoffs and all,” said Miraglia, a sophomore.
If the right-hander was experiencing any jitters it certainly did show. Miraglia was in complete control through the game against the Titans, turning in an efficient two-hitter to lead the Indians to an 8-0 victory at Olive Park.
“She gave up really one clean, solid hit and the other could have gone either way,” said Burroughs Coach Doug Nicol, whose team improved to 22-4. “When you can have a pitcher who can go that far and be that solid, it really helps your team. She missed a lot of bats today and I just think she was in total control today.
“That’s just the maturity she’s shown all season. She has really grown since probably the middle of last season. She’s one of the best pitchers in Division III and when she’s on, she’s tough to beat.”
Miraglia struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter. Just four Tesoro (9-15) batters reached base and two of those were on errors. After Titan Hallie Goldman struck out but reached base on a throwing error with one out in the first inning, Miraglia retired the next nine batters, giving up an infield single to Boston College-bound Kiana Cisneros in the fourth. The hurler then proceeded to sit down the next eight Titans before allowing a single through the left side in the seventh by Cisneros.
“After that first inning, I felt better and I was just able to concentrate on my pitches,” Miraglia said. “I thought my curve, my drop and my rise were all working for me today.
“It’s so nice for me to know that I have the players behind me that are going to score runs. That lets me relax and know that they are going to hit or do something great to help us win.”
Burroughs jumped in front early with two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Kaitlin Okimoto (two for four with a home run and three runs batted in), who is headed to Brown University, singled through the left side. Miraglia was then hit by a pitch. Brianna Johnson (three for four with two runs scored) followed with a single to center field to score one run and Isabel Frias then singled to center to plate another run.
In the second inning, Lauren Lopez (two for four with two runs scored) singled to center and scored on a throwing error to give the Indians a 3-0 advantage.
Johnson delivered a base hit to center in the fifth inning and was plated following a single to center by Amanda Flores (two for three with two RBI) for a 4-0 Burroughs lead.
Burroughs tacked on four more runs in the sixth, spearheaded by a three-run inside-the-park home run from Okimoto.
“I was really happy with out bats today. I thought that most of our outs were good outs,” Nicol said. “They were hard-hit ground balls and you have to give them credit because they made some good plays.
“I have a lot of faith in these girls and I have a lot of faith in their ability. This team has been a team that very rarely has not brought their game this season. Today they brought it and you can see what the result was.”
Tesoro moved just one player into scoring position in the game. After Cisneros singled in the seventh, an error moved her to second. But Miraglia induced a fly to left field and ended the game with a strikeout.
Burroughs, seeded fourth, will travel to take on host Irvine (14-11) in a second-round game at 3:15 p.m. Thursday. Irvine defeated St. Paul, 5-3, in its opener Thursday.
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports