Justin Kirchner tosses no-hitter for Harvard-Westlake in win over Loyola

ENCINO — As the game between the Harvard-Westlake and Loyola baseball teams came to a close, a “zero” remained in the hit column for one team.

Sophomore Justin Kirchner threw a no-hitter on 98 pitches and struck out 13 in Harvard-Westlake’s 8-0 victory over the Cubs in a Mission League game Tuesday at O’Malley Family Field.

“I’m just happy the way I competed out there,” Kirchner said. “Offense gave me a real, real bump early with three runs, and it was my job just to keep competing and keep it there. Boys played phenomenal defense.”

Kirchner attacked the zone mainly with a fastball that hovered around 90 mph and peaked at 93 mph. He also mixed in a curveball and slider.

Of Kirchner’s 98 pitches, 79 were fastballs.

“It builds as the game goes on,” Kirchner said. “Once it’s working, it definitely just keeps going.”

His command got away from him a couple times. He walked three batters through three innings and hit two batters, but Loyola (9-5-1, 3-3) was never able to produce a rally to threaten the Wolverines (12-4, 4-2).

After hitting the first batter of the fifth inning, Kirchner struck out the next three batters.

Through five innings, Kirchner allowed just three balls in play, two ground outs and a pop fly that barely left the infield.

“We were overmatched, quite frankly,” Loyola coach Keith Ramsey said. “Obviously, you tip your cap, because he did a really good job. And we have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to be more competitive in those at-bats early.”

In the top of the sixth, Kirchner walked the first batter on four pitches, but was not rattled. He struck out the next batter before getting a pop out to shortstop and a flyout to the right fielder.

That was the first inning where the Cubs put more than one ball in play.

Kirchner came back out for the seventh. Four fastballs later, Kircher struck out the first batter.

“Just beat that guy,” Kirchner said. “That was the mentality that got me through the game, just beating every guy that stepped in the box.”

Three pitches later, Kircher struck out his 12th batter of the game.

On a 1-2 count, Loyola designated hitter Alejandro Villegos grounded a ball to the right side. Second baseman Massimo Durando, who entered the game in sixth, fielded the ball and threw to first for the final out.

It was the Wolverines’ first no-hitter since Jack Flaherty, who now pitches for the Detroit Tigers, threw one in 2014.

Kirchner’s teammates mobbed him after the play.

“I’m thrilled for the young man,” said Harvard Westlake head coach Jared Halpert. “That’s one of the best performances we’ve had in my 14 or 15 years here.”

Harvard-Westlake scored all of its runs in the first three innings.

Center fielder Ira Rootman, a University of Texas commit, drove in five runs to lead the Wolverines. He had a two-run double in the first inning and a three-run homer in the third.