CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — Playing in the 2016 17U Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational Tournament, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team absorbed its first loss today to open pool play at Aviation Sports Complex. The 6-4-3 DP Cougars of Marietta, Ga., spotted the Sox a run in the top of the first then scored six times over the next four innings on the way to a 6-1 win.
Pitching in a game for the first time since a one-inning outing at Pine Bluff on May 9 for the Bryant High School team, right-hander Alex Shurtleff absorbed the loss, surrendering six runs, three earned on seven hits with two strikeouts.
Boston Heil, who pitched in the Hornets’ season-opening win over the Conway Cougars on May 31, relieved in the fifth and shut out the Cougars on one hit over last two frames.
Meanwhile, the Sox were held to a run on four hits by lefty Jack Ferguson of Atlanta. He fanned six and walked three. Ben Anderson of LaGrange, Ga., closed out the win with two hitless innings of relief.
Garrett Misenheimer had two of Bryant’s hits. Logan Allen and Jacob Wright each had one.
Dylan Hurt drew a one-out walk in the top of the first and scored all the way from first on Misenheimer’s double to right. Austin Kelly walked but Ferguson retired the next two to escape further damage.
Anderson singled with one out in the home half. Shurtleff struck out the next batter, Drew Waters, but Anderson stole his way to third and scored when clean-up hitter Jamie Taylor reached on an error.
The inning ended when Hurt, the Sox catcher, threw out courtesy runner Hugh Chapman when he tried to steal.
The Cougars took the lead with two runs in the second on three singles and a groundout. In turn, the Sox threatened in the top of the third when Allen singled to left and, with one out, Misenheimer lashed a single to right. But, again, Ferguson wriggled off the hook.
Waters slugged a two-out two-run homer in the home third to make it 5-1. In the fourth, Skylar McPhee doubled with one down, Kennet Sorenson reached on an error and Trevor Austin delivered a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.
Ferguson worked around a one-out single by Wright in the top of the fourth and a two-out walk to Misenheimer in the fifth. Seth Tucker was hit by a pitch in the sixth but was erased by a doubleplay. In the seventh, Scott Schmidt reached on an error to open the inning but another doubleplay took the starch out of any hopes for a rally.
The Black Sox continue pool play on Tuesday against Premier Baseball Black of Alpharetta, Ga., then take on Team Elite 17’s South of Winder, Ga., on Wednesday. Bracket play commences on Thursday.
