BAY CITY, Texas — Alex Shurtleff fired a three-hit shutout and Aaron Orender knocked in the lone[more] run as the Bryant 13-year-old All-Stars won their second game at the 2012 Babe Ruth Southwest Regional Tournament on Saturday. The 1-0 win over Tri-County, Texas lifted Bryant into the winners bracket final to be played today at 4 p.m.
The Bryant team is managed by Jerry East with assistance from Rick Brown and Randy Kelly. The team includes Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Cameron Coleman, Jake East, Jeffery Hastings, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Kyle Sahr, Alex Shurtleff, Diego Vargas.
Shurtleff walked four, hit a batter and struck out seven. He didn’t allow a hit until the top of the fourth. While that base-runner was erased by Hurt, the Bryant catcher, when he tried to steal third, Tri-County put a pair of runners aboard in the fifth on a single and a two-out walk only to have Shurtleff end the threat by striking out the Texans’ lead-off batter.
In the sixth, a lead-off walk was erased when Hurt picked the runner off first resulting in a rundown and the first out of the inning. Shurtleff struck out the next batter and, after another walk, ended the inning on a pop to East at short.
A lead-off single in the top of the seventh was followed by a sacrifice but the runner was stranded at second as Shurtleff closed out the win with a strikeout and a bouncer to second.
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the second. Kelly reached base and stole second. With one out, Orender came through with a single to bring him around.
Shurtleff had singled with two down in the first and, in the third, East walked, stole second and reached third but was stranded. Hastings singled in the fourth then Orender was hit by a pitch but Tri-County turned a doubleplay to get out of the jam.
A single by Hurt with two down in the fifth was the last Bryant hit.
Shurtleff actually got off to a rocky start, hitting the first batter of the game then issuing a walk. But two strikeouts and a pop to third started a stretch in which he set down nine in a row before the single that opened the fourth.
