Storrs' Two-Hitter Leads Bears Past Patriots 4-0

Bradley Hands Jefferson County Its First Loss

  • Thursday, March 23, 2017
  • Larry Fleming

CLEVELAND, Tenn. – Jefferson County had no trouble scoring runs while winning its first four games to open the high school baseball season.

But Bradley Central right-hander Tripp Storrs stopped the Patriots cold Thursday at the Toby McKenzie Baseball Complex in an Ooltewah Invitational game.

Storrs threw a masterful two-hit shutout and Bradley manufactured all its runs with an effective small-ball attack and defeated the Patriots 4-0.

Storrs, who had pitched 5 1/3 innings in two previous appearances, gave up a first-inning single to Jonathan Royster and Logan Flynn had a two-out infield hit in the fifth. Both hits came with two out.

“I was calm and collected out there and dotted it (strike zone) up with fastballs for strikes,” Storrs (1-1) said. “That’s what you gotta do, man. I dumped fastballs early in the count and tried to keep the off balance and not let them know what was coming.”

Storrs’ formula worked out well.

The Patriots (4-1) had overwhelmed their first four opponents – all of them District 2-3A foes – by a combined 48-10. That included 11-0 and 19-0 blowouts against Cocke County. Jefferson County also beat Sevier County 6-5 and 12-5.

Jefferson County runners failed to even sniff home plate against Storrs.

“Tripp was really good on the mound today,” said Bears shortstop Pete Williams, who had half of the Bears’ four hits – a double and single – and scored twice. “We made a couple of errors behind them and they hit some balls hard but they were right at us.”

After his single Royster stole second and went to third on Bradley catcher Byron Mantooth’s throwing error. Royster, the only runner to reach third, was stranded there when Jacob Rogers grounded out.

Flynn moved to second in the fifth when Tyler Shaver, who threw a complete game four-hitter for the Patriots, was hit by a pitch. Matt Bradley flied out to left to end the inning.

“Tripp did great throwing to contact,” said coach Travis Adams, whose Bears improved to 6-2 on the season. “He had a couple of walks and one inning was a little rough but he kept his composure and filled the zone up when he had to.”

Said Jefferson County coach Zach Reese, “Their guy (Storrs) was in the strike zone the entire game and that’s what you want a high school pitcher to do. And he pitched to contact, which is what we want our guys to do.”

Shaver, who was being scouted by a Lee University coach for three innings, gave up two-out single to Caleb Reed in the first inning. Shaver struck out Riley Black to escape any further damage.

He wasn’t so lucky in the second.

Williams ripped a double to left-center field. Jake Pressley laid down a sacrifice bunt and Shaver’s throw to third was off the mark and Williams scored on the error.

Byron Mantooth bunted and third baseman Trevor Whitley made an errant throw to first and Pressley came around to score the Bears’ second run. Mantooth went to second on the misplay.

Andy Bunch’s sacrifice bunt moved Briar Lee, who ran for Mantooth, to third base.

Colton Cross’ sacrifice fly scored Lee to give Bradley (7-2) a 3-0 lead.

“Tyler wasn’t bad out there but we couldn’t make throws on their bunts, Tyler threw the ball away on a pickoff at first and he’s got to handle that better when things don’t go his way. Overall, I thought he kept us in the game. We just couldn’t do anything offensively.”

Said Adams, “(Shaver) was running the ball up there pretty good with two pitches and looked a lot like the district stuff we see. Us scrapping for runs early forced them to play defense and they shot themselves in the foot a couple times.”

Shaver breezed through the third inning that included two of his eight strikeouts.

In the fourth, Williams stroked a single to left. Shaver tried a pickoff move to first, but threw the ball away and Williams raced to second. A wild pitch sent Williams to third and he scored on a passed ball.

Bears leadoff batter Dylan Standifer singled in the fifth and stole second. Cason Still lined out to shortstop and Matt Bradley’s throw to second doubled off Standifer.

With two out in the Patriots’ fifth, Storrs gave up a Logan Flynn single and Shaver was hit by a pitch. Bradley flied out to left ending the threat.

Storrs retired Jefferson County 1-2-3 in the sixth. Brandon Saylor reached on a Williams error starting the seventh, but no sweat. Storrs got Tyler Franklin on a groundout, Sean Fladd struck out and Flynn grounded out to end the game.

“I pitched against a good-hitting Gibbs team on Saturday,” Storrs said. “I relieved against Walker Valley on Monday, so I was ready to go for seven innings today. If I can go seven today, I’ll be good for nine down the road if I have to. I do all right keeping my pitch count down.”

*** Walker Valley’s game against Bradley on Wednesday ended with a misinterpretation of the new pitch-count rule that wound up giving the Bears a forfeit victory over the Mustangs.

Moments earlier the Mustangs were joyous with what they thought was a  3-1 victory in eight innings.

Coach Joe Shamblin shouldered complete blame for the mix-up, according to a story in Thursday’s Cleveland Daily Banner written by Joe Cannon.

“The team doesn’t deserve this and I apologize to them from the bottom of my heart,” Shamblin said.

Walker Valley self-reported the incident to the TSSAA and Bradley was given the forfeit that resulted in the Mustangs’ first loss of the season.

Walker Valley pitcher Grayson Rountree threw a complete game four-hitter but Shamblin allowed the Emory & Henry signee to throw 138 pitches, which were 18 over the new daily maximum mandated by the new national federation rule.

Rountree started the eighth inning having thrown 119 pitches and the new rule allowed him to face the next batter and face him for the duration of the at-bat. After facing that batter, Rountree should have been lifted and replaced by a reliever.

BOXSCORE

Jefferson County                000 000 0 – 0 2 3

Bradley Central                   030 100 x – 4 4 2

Shaver and Royster; Storrs and Mantooth.

(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)

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