Brown, Hurt combined on one-hitter in Junior Sox win
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PEARCY — Tyler Brown and Ozzie Hurt combined to toss a five-inning one-hit shutout and Tanner Tolbert cracked a two-run homer as the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team rolled to a 8-0 win over Lake Hamilton on Monday night.[more]
Brown and Hurt faced the minimum 15 batters over the five innings. Both Lake Hamilton baserunners were retired. The lone hit was a looping single to left by Briar Jackson with one out in the bottom of the second. But with Jackson on the move, Ryan Baker hit a fly to center that was tracked down by Josh Pultro. Jackson couldn’t get back to first in time as Pultro got the ball in to Hurt the shortstop who relayed to Blake Davidson at first to end the inning.
In the third, Brown, who has struck out the first four Lake Hamilton batters in the game, issued a one-out walk to Clay Jessie. But the Bryant hurlder then fielded a comebacker off the bat of Easton Thomas and turned it into a doubleplay to end the inning.
Hurt relieved in the fourth and set down all six batters he faced, two on strikeouts.
The Sox, meanwhile, scored in four of their five at-bats. They took a 2-0 lead in the first. Tolbert walked and stole second. Hurt singled him to third and swiped second himself. Pultro then came through with a squeeze bunt to get Tolbert home. Moments later, Hurt scored on a passed ball.
In the second, Davidson drew a lead-off walk and swiped second. He advanced to third on Matt Neal’s bouncer to short then Tyler Jamison drew a walk to put runners at the corners. Jamison and Davidson then worked a double steal to make it 3-0 before Tolbert blasted a 1-1 delivery that bounced on top of the left-field fence and went over, making it 5-0.
Moments later, Hurt appeared to have drawn a walk on a 3-2 pitch but, after a discussion between the umpires, it as ruled his checked swing had gone too far resulting in a strikeout.
That proved to be meaningful at the time because Pultro followed with a single to left. Another strikeout, however, got the Lake Hamilton pitcher off the hook.
After a scoreless third, the Sox tacked on in the fourth. A lead-off double by Jamison started the uprising. Trent Rivers singled and stole second but then Jamison was thrown out at the plate on Hurt’s infield roller. With Rivers at third, however, Pultro came through with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
Singles by Caleb Milam and Lucas Castleberry loaded the bases but the Sox couldn’t add to their margin.
Until the fifth, that is.
Quinton Motto, in for Davidson, reached on an error and stole second. Neal singled and Jamison walked to fill the sacks. Rivers picked up an RBI with a groundout to short and, after Hurt walked, Pultro came through with his second sacrifice fly to set the final score.
Now 5-1-1, the Junior Sox return to action with a doubleheader at Benton on Friday.
