Southeast Missourian Athlete of the Week: Scott City's Becky Burger

Rams right-hander Becky Burger pitched nine shutout innings and collected two wins in leading Scott City to the Class 1 District 5 softball championship last week.

Burger struck out five batters in two hitless innings in a semifinal rout against Scott County Central, then struck out 12 batters in a three-hit, complete-game performance against Advance in the title contest.

In the 9-0 win over Advance, Burger helped her own cause with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. She gave her squad a scare when she injured her left hand in a collision with the Hornets' first baseman while running out a grounder in the bottom of the fourth. She disappeared into the dugout after the mishap but alleviated any fears when she reappeared and struck out the side in the fifth.

At week's end, Burger was 15-4 with a 1.89 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 96 1/3 innings. At the plate, she was batting a team-leading .516.