Panthers wrap up title

With the victory, Burlingame (16-10 overall, 12-3 PAL Bay) repeated as PAL Bay Division champions. Having returned just five starters from last year's Central Coast Section Division II championship team, the Panthers had to rely a lot more on grit and savvy than overwhelming talent this season. That's what made their accomplishment all the more impressive. Their road to league supremacy was filled with many more obstacles compared to their dominating 2004 campaign.

"We definitely don't have as much power (in the lineup) as we did last year," Burlingame coach Rich Sciutto said. "Last year we hit .350, and this year we're at .280 or .290. But you don't have to score a lot of runs, all you have to do is win by one."

The Panthers, who are on a season-high seven-game win streak, had plenty enough against Menlo-Atherton (10-18, 6-9). Sciutto said Shiller was primarily throwing a fastball and curve, and the USF-bound three-sport standout had the Bears' hitters either looking at called third strikes or swinging at nothing but air. Shiller threw 88 pitches, 64 for strikes. The only real threat the Bears had was in the bottom of the seventh inning when they put runners at first and second base with one out. With both runners going, J.T. Power lined a shot to leftfield, but Bryce Gotthardt made a nice running grab before throwing to second base and doubling up Clark Hagman to end the game.

Thursday's result was never in doubt. Burlingame scored a run in the top of the first inning on Arslan's sacrifice-fly, and added four more in the third. Andrew Ticzon led off with a double and scored on T.J. Bonaventura's single. Shiller followed with a walk and Logan Freethy singled to load the bases. Arslan then hammered a three-run triple to the rightfield fence to cap the outburst. Burlingame poured it on with three more runs in the fifth, highlighted by Mike Coccellato's two-run double and Brad Chickman's run-scoring single.

"We've been getting production from our six, seven, eight and nine hitters, and that's going to be important as we head into CCS," Sciutto said. "I think we're right there (peaking), but we know we have to kick it up a notch in CCS. It's a different level."

Ricky Halbur, who came in as a courtesy runner in each of the three times Shiller reached base, scored three runs. Eight of the nine hitters in Burlingame's lineup had a hit. When asked about his team's apparent lack of excitement of clinching a second straight outright Bay Division title, Sciutto said there were two ways to look at that.

"They're probably more confident than lethargic," he said. "The seniors that we had coming back have been through this before and maybe they're thinking about taking the next step."

A step that would land Burlingame in baseball heaven.