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The Westminster senior wasn't going to waste any more time.

When he got the ball Tuesday, he was firing.

Martin twirled a gem in a Metro League baseball contest at John Burroughs School, leading the Wildcats past the Bombers 5-2.

"He has really good stuff," John Burroughs coach Scott Deken said. "He can blow it by some guys, especially if it's up a little bit. He has good offspeed stuff. He was just fantastic."

Westminster (16-8 overall, 9-0 Metro), the No. 8 small school in the latest rankings, has won four successive games against its conference rival. 

While he was chomping at the bit to pitch against John Burroughs, Martin's fast pace of play, which he showed on Tuesday, is just who he is.

"That's my pace," Martin said. "I like to get it and go. Sometimes hitters aren't ready and it messes with their timing. I know when there's a pitcher going fast, I don't like it."

John Burroughs' hitters weren't fans of the pace, as Martin tossed all seven innings, striking out a season-high 11 and scattering three hits. 

"He's able to keep guys off balance and he located his fastball really well," Westminster coach Dan Petke said. "He throws hard, especially when he has good command, he's hard to hit."

The two unearned runs mustered by the Bombers were their first runs scored in the last three contests between the two programs dating to last season.

As overpowering as Martin's fastball was at times, Wildcats senior catcher Cal Leighton didn't hesitate to call for Martin's curveball.

"He goes through a lot of different pitches and can land just about anything," Leighton said. "Today, it was his curveball for sure. He likes to use his slider and his fastball can dominate hitters, but today it was definitely the curveball."

The pair have been battery mates for the past three years, so it wasn't a surprise when Martin would stare in for his sign and the sign was what he wanted to throw anyway.

"I kind of notice that he's almost reading my mind because he knows what pitch I want to throw," Martin said. "He's pretty accurate on the pitches I want to throw, so I don't have to shake him off."

The game was suspended after one out on April 30, when Martin got a routine groundout. Then, he and his teammates had to wait nearly a week before getting back on the field.

"We knew this would be a big game," Leighton said. "We knew if we won this, we'd win the conference. We had that energy saved up. We had to give it all today."

Westminster collected seven hits against John Burroughs (12-7, 6-3) but was one hit away from exploding in the middle innings.

"We were several innings away from getting some more and piling on," Petke said. "They did what they had to, made pitches and made plays on defense. Made it tough for us."

Leighton went 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Wildcats.

Those big innings were prevented by the Bombers' weapon out in center field — Max Steinbach.

"Our center field play today was fantastic," Deken said. "Max can track a ball better than most. He's a weapon out there because he keeps us in games."

Despite the loss, Deken had a simple message to the Bombers as they started making preparations for the postseason.

"We've got to get better at XYZ, so that's what we're going to work on during games and during practice," Deken said. "We're trying to put balls in play against really good pitching because we know that Vianney, Webster Groves and Windsor has really good pitching. We want to see as many good arms as possible."