Burrill’s Home Run Buries CSUN, 7-2

Casey Burrill, a catcher by trade, says his ailing right arm hurts most when he holds it over his head. Somebody had better alert the USC trainer.

If Burrill cranks out a few more performances like he did Saturday--which resulted in enough high-fives to wear out a right-handed pitcher --he’ll have his arm in a sling all season.

Burrill, a sophomore designated-hitter from Hart High, whacked his first collegiate home run and drove in four runs to lead USC to a 7-2 nonconference victory over Cal State Northridge at Dedeaux Field.

Burrill, an All-Southern Section and a Times All-Valley selection in 1989, was a projected starter at catcher before injuring his throwing shoulder in the weight room last fall. Surgery is planned when the season ends.

Mighty Casey, it seemed, had struck out.

“The whole summer and all of last season I thought I’d be the starter,” Burrill said. “I was really disappointed when I hurt the shoulder. But as the DH, I’m glad to be able to help.”

This time, he ably helped himself.

Burrill’s first-inning single keyed a three-run rally against Northridge right-hander Marty Kilian (0-1), who was making his first start. Kilian, a transfer from San Jose City College, settled down after Burrill’s run-scoring hit and retired 13 consecutive batters.

With USC leading, 3-2, the Trojans put away Kilian and Northridge (6-4) in the sixth, however. Murph Proctor, USC’s all-time hit leader, hit Kilian’s first pitch for a line single to left field.

Jeff Cirillo, a senior from Providence High, followed with a hit-and-run single through the right side, sending Proctor to third.

Mark Smith drove in Proctor with a sacrifice fly to right that could have been interpreted as a red flag of sorts--Kilian had allowed only one fly ball in the previous five innings. Kilian then hit Brett Jenkins with an 0-2 pitch.

Burrill, who said he had not seen a fastball in the first two games of the three-game series--the teams split the first two games--ripped a first-pitch curve over the fence in left for a three-run homer that gave USC (8-3) a five-run lead.

In one game, Burrill lapped his runs batted in output of a season ago, when he finished with two in 37 at-bats. “Coach (Mike Gillespie) told me that’s all they’d throw me,” Burrill said of the curve. “I just sat back and waited.”

Of course, as the designated-hitter, he sits back all the time. Gillespie said he would like to see less of Burrill, which would mean that the latter was out of the dugout and behind the plate.

“We talk too much,” Gillespie said. “More than we want to.”

With the exception of one pitch, Northridge was blanked by freshman right-hander Kent Donnelly (2-0), who allowed eight hits in eight innings, struck out seven and walked one.

Donnelly’s only costly mistake came in the third when Scott Sharts--who finished with three hits--crushed a slider over the 365-foot sign in right-center for his sixth home run. Over the next five innings, Donnelly did not allow more than one Northridge baserunner.

“He was blowing,” said USC catcher Mike Mancuso, a freshman from Chatsworth High who is starting in place of Burrill. “He had good control of his slider and his change. He was tough.”