Senior Sox hurlers nearly perfect again in win at Georgia tourney
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EMERSON, Ga. — On the heels of a near perfect game by left-hander Jason Hastings on Thursday night, Blake Patterson, Devin Dupree and Brandan Warner of the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion baseball team combined to face one over the minimum in a one-hit shutout over Centerfield Baseball Academy on Newnan, Ga., today.
The trio was perfect over 5 1/3 innings, retiring all 16 batters they faced before Centerfield’s Blake Howell lined a single to right. Dupree had retired 10 in a row to that point after relieving Patterson in the third. He retired the last two batters he faced then Warner retired the side in order in the seventh to sew up the 6-0 win for the Black Sox.
Dupree struck out five over four innings as the Georgia team combined to fan eight times.
The game was the second for both teams in pool play at the Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational wood bat showcase.
The Sox are 1-0-1 in pool play going into a game against Training Camp Baseball on LaVergne, Tenn., on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
Against Centerfield, Bryant was led offensively by Drew Tipton who went 2 for 3, scored twice and drove in a run. Garrett Misenheimer had a hit and two RBIs.
The Sox opened up a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Tipton and Brandan Warner were both hit by a pitches from the Georgia team’s starter Hoyt Gurley. The moved up to second and third on a passed ball before Gurley balked, which allowed Tipton to score. Warner came home on Patterson’s groundout.
In Bryant’s second, Dylan Hurt drew a walk and moved to second on a grounout by Logan Allen. A passed ball allowed him to take third and, from there, he scored on a double play Tipton.
After Tipton swiped third and Warner walked, Gurley unleashed a wild pitch and it was 4-0.
After Dupree eased through his first inning on the mound, Evan Lee was struck by a pitch from Centerfield reliever Patrick Ragan. Misenheimer drilled a double to left and Lee sprinted all the way around to score.
In the bottom of the fifth, Hastings doubled, moved to third on a grounder to the right side by Lee and scored on Misenheimer’s sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
In the top of the sixth, Dupree struck out Matthew Gresham before Howell connected on an 0-1 delivery for the lone hit for Centerfield. Unfazed, Dupree struck out Avery Reynolds and got William Wilbanks to bounce to Connor Tatum at second to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Warner induced a grounder to Seth Tucker at short from Andrew Reamer then struck out the next two to end the game.
