Rutherford tosses another shutout as Sox continue Omaha ride
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OMAHA, Neb. — Right-hander Nate Rutherford followed up the perfect game pitched by Blake Patterson on Saturday to get the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team into the championship bracket with a two-hit shutout on Sunday to spark the team to the division finals of the annual 19-and-under Battle of Omaha Classic at Skutt Catholic High School early Sunday.
With a win on Sunday afternoon against the winner of the Oneida, Ill.-Grove City, Ohio semifinal, Bryant will advance to the Classic final four on Monday.
Rutherford, a freshman at Arkansas Tech and former State Tournament MVP at Bryant High School, needed just 56 pitches to get through the five-inning contest, which the Sox won by run-rule, 8-0, over Union Bank of Lincoln, Neb., Pius X High School. The Sox improved to 5-0 at the Classic and 19-0 overall.
Offensively, Bryant scored four runs in the second and four more in the home fourth to make it a prospective run-rule. Rutherford gave up an infield hit on a “swinging bunt’ with two down in the top of the fifth then got the final out on a grounder to Brandan Warner at third.
Lincoln only had three other base-runners. In the second, a one-out double was struck by Nolan Hakel. In the third, Jared Nottemore reached on a throwing error and was sacrificed to third only to be stranded there. Rutherford worked around a two-out walk in the fourth.
The Sox’ four-run second began when Hayden Lessenberry belted a lead-off single to center. With one out, a single by Dalton Holt and a walk to Warner loaded the bases for Justin Emmerling, who singled in a run. Korey Thompson’s squeeze bunt got Holt home and, after Trevor Ezell was hit by a pitch, Drew Tipton drew a walk to force in a run and Blake Patterson ripped a single to right-center to make it 4-0.
Emmerling started the four-run fourth with his second hit. Thompson sacrificed him to second and Ezell singled him home. Tipton’s sacrifice set up Patterson’s RBI double.
Lessenberry singled Patterson to third. With Harrison Dale in to run for Lessenberry, the Bryant catcher, a double steal got Patterson home with Dale reaching second. After he advanced to third on a passed ball, Dale scored on Chase Tucker’s single to left, making it 8-0.
