Shurtleff, Heil spin shutout as Junior Sox win to finish up tourney
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EMERSON, Ga. — A run in the second and another in the seventh stood up for the Bryant Everett Buick-GMC Black Sox Junior American Legion team on Sunday as Alex Shurtleff and Boston Heil combined on a four-hit shutout against Baseball Scoutz of Evans, Ga. The consolation game wrapped up play for both teams in the Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational wood bat showcase.
The Sox finished 2-2 and are set to return to action on Tuesday, June 9, in a doubleheader at Sheridan before heading to Memphis for a tournament June 11-14.
Over five innings, Shurtleff allowed just three singles. He walked two and struck out six. Heil relieved in the six and closed it out allowing one hit and fanning two in the final two frames.
Bryant finished with seven hits, one apiece from Seth Tucker, Logan Allen, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelly, Aaron Orender, Jordan Gentry and Scott Schmidt.
Allen singled and Garrett Misenheimer was hit by a pitch with one out in the first but both were stranded. In the home half, Shurtleff gave up a lead-off single to Jonathan Martin then retired the next three, two on strikes.
Orender walked to lead off the top of the second and was sacrificed over by Gentry. And when the catcher threw the ball away on a pick-off attempt, Orender scored.
The Sox threatened again in the fourth when Kelly singled and, after Orender bounced into a force, Gentry looped a single to right. But the Scoutz got out of the inning with the score still 1-0.
The Georgia team threatened in the bottom of the fourth with a walk and a single but the lead runner was thrown out trying to steal third by Gentry, the Bryant catcher. That proved crucial when the next batter, Alex Mills, beat out an infield hit. Shurtleff got Timothy Gray to fly out to center to end the threat.
Hurt doubled with one out in the top of the sixth. Kelly walked but then Hurt was thrown out trying to swipe third, moments before Orender lined a single to right. Kelly tried to score from second but was thrown out at the plate.
Heil struck out the first two batters he faced in the sixth and completed the 1-2-3 inning by inducing a grounder to Tucker at short.
The Sox added their insurance run in the top of the seventh when Cameron Coleman was struck by a pitch with one out, stole second and took third on a line-drive single to left by Schmidt. Coleman scored when Tucker grounded out to short.
Scoutz’ Braxton Johns singled to left to open the bottom of the seventh but he got no further than first as Heil, supported by solid defense, retired the next three batters to finish it.
