Black Sox’ Junior Legion team sweeps twinbill to open season
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Five pitchers combined to allow just one unearned run and two hits as the Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant opened the 2014 season with a sweep of a doubleheader against the Benton Panthers Junior Legion squad Monday night.
In the first game, Alex Shurtleff faced the minimum over three innings and Austin Kelly fired a 1-2-3 fourth, combining on a four-frame no-hitter while Benton pitching was issuing 17 walks in the Sox’ 22-0 romp.
In the second game, Dylan Hurt allowed the lone run and both hits in his three-inning stint with Jake East and Beau Bonvillain adding a no-hit inning apiece. The Black Sox scored in every inning including all four at-bats in the nightcap on the way to a 6-1 win.
Jordan Gentry, Hurt, Shurtleff and Cameron Coleman each had two hits in the opener. Logan Allen and Aaron Orender both went 2 for 2 in the second contest.
“I wanted to see good at-bats, good approaches at the plate,” said Everett manager Tyler Brown. “I wanted them to make sure they were swinging at good pitches — their spot and their pitch. If they’re going to throw a breaking ball, just spit on it and let’s go after a fastball and really just rhythm up. For the most part, I thought we did that.
“Defensively, we made just one minor mistake but it’s fixable,” he added. “Pitching was good. We’ve just got to keep working them in and go get them this weekend.”
The Junior Sox open a tournament at Hot Springs Lakeside this Friday at 5 p.m.
Black Sox 22, Panthers 0
The only base-runner Benton managed came when Drew Chilton reached on a one-out error in the top of the first. But Chilton was doubled off first when Bryant second baseman Connor Tatum caught a line drive off the bat of Timmy Bennett and threw to Garrett Misenheimer at first in time to end the inning.
The Sox scored 10 times in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of five walks, a hit batsman and an error. Gentry singled in a run — the first of his two base hits in the inning. Then Hurt and Allen contributed two-run singles. Orender beat out a bunt single between those RBI knocks and Shurtleff singled in a run.
Benton starter Troy Quinn was replaced by Westin Riddick after the Hornets had gone through the lineup once without making an out. Riddick eventually got out of the inning but, in the second, Shurtleff rapped his second hit and Allen walked. Courtesy runner Diego Vargas and Allen moved up on a wild pitch. Another one allowed Vargas to score. East picked up an RBI with a groundout to make it 12-0.
In the third, the Sox put together another 10-run outburst. Three Benton pitches combined on 10 walks in the inning after Hurt opened the frame with a base hit. Coleman, who singled twice in the inning, drove in two runs with his first hit and a third with his second. Those were the only three hits along the way. Misenheimer delivered a run with a sacrifice fly to center.
Allen, Vargas, Orender and Collin Welch each picked up an RBI walk.
Black Sox 6, Panthers 1
The scheduled five-inning game, began with Coltyn Lane reached on an error, taking second on a sacrifice by Chilton and third on a steal. But Hurt got Bennett and Jacob Cooper to ground out, stranding Lane.
Allen led off the home half with a walk and the first of his three stolen bases in the game. East hit a grounder to the right side of the infield to advance Allen who then scored on Misenheimer’s sac-fly.
Benton got its lone run and only two hits in the second. Austin Harklau beat out a bunt single with one out and advanced to second when Riddick bounced to first. Ross Carver followed with a single to right that Kelly charged hard, hoping to force Harklau to stay at third. But the ball got past him and the run scored. Allen, hustling over from center, backed up the play and held Carver to first.
Hurt retired Ty Callahan on a grounder to second to keep it tied 1-1.
The Sox regained the edge in the home half of the inning. With one out, Orender beat out a grounder into the hole that Chilton flagged down. Coleman was hit by a pitch and, with two out, Allen came through with a clutch RBI single to left-center.
After Hurt worked around a one-out walk to Lane in the top of the third, Bryant took advantage of a pair of Benton errors to plate three, all after two were out. Kelly reached on an error to start the uprising. He was awarded second on a balk then sprinted home on Vargas’ opposite-field single. Orender followed with a solid single to center. Lane charged in hoping to hold Vargas to third or throw him out at the plate. But the ball got past him and rolled into deep center. Orender circled the bases, scoring on Vargas’ heels to make it 5-1.
East relieved Hurt and retired the Panthers in order in the top of the fourth. In the home half, Allen lashed his second single, stole second and third then scored on a wild pitch as East walked.
Bonvillain relieved in the top of the fifth and issued a one-out walk to Carver. But retired the next two, ending the game with a strikeout.
EVERETT BLACK SOX 22-6, BENTON PANTHERS 0-1
Game one
Panthers ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Lane, cf-p 2 0 0 0 East, ss 2 1 0 1
Chilton, rf-cf 2 0 0 0 Vargas, ph 0 0 0 1
Bennett, c 2 0 0 0 Tatum, 2b 2 2 1 1
Cooper, 3b-rf 1 0 0 0 Welch, ph 0 0 0 1
Whitaker, 1b 1 0 0 0 Misenheimer, 1b 1 2 0 2
Harklau, ss 1 0 0 0 Brown, ph 1 0 0 0
Riddick, dh-p 1 0 0 0 Gentry, 3b 3 2 2 1
Quinn, p-3b 0 0 0 0 Kelly, rf-p 1 2 0 1
Carver, 2b 1 0 0 0 Hurt, c 3 0 2 2
Callahan, lf 1 0 0 0 Coleman, cr 0 1 0 0
Bonvillain, cr 0 2 0 0
Orender, lf-rf 2 3 1 1
Shurtleff, p 2 0 2 1
Vargas, cr 0 2 0 0
Coleman, lf 2 2 2 3
Allen, cf 1 3 1 3
Totals 12 0 0 0 Totals 20 22 11 17
Benton 000 0 — 0
Bryant (10)2(10) x — 22
E—Gentry, Harklau. DP—Bryant 1. LOB—Benton 0, Bryant 8. SB—Bonvillain. SF—Misenheimer.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Benton
Quinn (L) 0 9 9 5 3 0
Riddick 2 7 6 5 6 0
Cooper 0.2 6 6 1 6 0
Lane 0.1 0 0 0 2 0
Bryant
Shurtleff (W) 3 0 0 0 0 2
Kelly 1 0 0 0 0 0
Quinn faced nine batters in the first.
Riddick faced four batters in the third.
HBP—Kelly (by Quinn). WP—Quinn 2, Riddick 3, Cooper 3. PB—Bennett.
Game two
Panthers ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Lane, cf 1 0 0 0 Allen, cf 2 2 2 1
Chilton, ss-2b 1 0 0 0 East, ss-p 2 0 0 0
Bennett, 3b 2 0 0 0 Misenheimer, 1b 2 0 0 1
Cooper, dh 2 0 0 0 Gentry, c 3 0 1 0
Whitaker, rf 2 0 0 0 Bonvillain, cr 0 0 0 0
Harklau, p-ss 2 1 1 0 Kelly, rf 3 1 0 0
Riddick, 1b 2 0 0 0 Hurt, p 1 0 0 0
Carver, 2b-p 1 0 1 0 Vargas, ph-2b 1 1 1 1
Callahan, lf 2 0 0 0 Bonvillain, p 0 0 0 0
Quinn, c 2 0 0 0 Orender, 3b 2 2 2 0
Coleman, lf 1 0 1 0
Tatum, 2b-ss 2 0 0 0
Totals 17 1 2 0 Totals 19 6 7 3
Benton 010 00 — 1
Bryant 113 1x — 6
E—Orender, Kelly, Riddick, Lane. LOB—Benton 4, Bryant 5. 3B—Coleman. SB—Allen 3, East, Vargas, Oredner. S—Chilton. SF—Misenheimer.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Benton
Harklau (L) 3 5 2 6 1 1
Carver 1 1 1 1 1 1
Bryant
Hurt (W) 3 1 0 2 1 1
East 1 0 0 0 0 1
Bonvillain 1 0 0 0 1 1
Balk—Harklau. HBP—Coleman (by Harklau). WP—Carver.
