PULASKI, Va. — Three pitchers combined to throw the second consecutive shutout for the Stars and a Gavin Cross sacrifice fly brought in the only run of the game as they defeated the Stripes, 1-0, on Tuesday evening in Pulaski, Va.
The win was the sixth of the summer for the Stars (6-3) as they clinched the series victory over the Stripes (3-6).
Stars starting pitcher Brandon Sproat picked up the win with three shutout innings in which he struck out four. Paul Skenes (Air Force) followed with a pair of punchouts in two innings before Landon Sims fanned two in his one frame of work to pick up the save.
The Stripes pitching staff also impressed on Tuesday, starting with southpaw Cole Kirschsieper (Illinois) who yielded only two hits and struck out two over three innings in his Team USA debut. Devereaux Harrison (LBSU) and Reggie Crawford (UCONN) added a scoreless inning each as well.
Cross (Virginia Tech) was held hitless for just the second time in nine games this summer but drove in his 10th run with a sac fly in the sixth inning.
KEY MOMENTS
- The Stars put a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the first but couldn’t cash in as Kirschsieper struck out Brooks Lee (Cal Poly) to leave them both stranded.
- The Stripes didn’t get a runner to second until the third when they were able to load the bases with two outs but Sproat escaped unscathed as he got Brock Jones (Stanford) to ground out to second.
- The lone run of the contest came in the fifth as a pair of walks and a single by Robert Moore (Arkansas) loaded the bases for Cross who lifted a fly ball to left to bring Kyle Teel (Virginia) in to score.
- The Stripes threatened in the ninth with a pair of singles and an error putting runners on second and third with two outs but Sims was able to get Carter Trice (Old Dominion) swinging on a high fastball to end the game.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- The Stars have now held the Stripes scoreless over the last 14 innings, dating back to the sixth inning of last Friday’s contest in Elizabethton, Tenn.
- Cross’ RBI was his 10th of the summer, placing him in second among all Team USA players behind only Jacob Berry’s (LSU) 11 RBIs.
- Hayden Dunhurst (Ole Miss) threw out his team-leading third potential base-stealer of the summer.
- With his 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, Crawford has now allowed just one hit and struck out eight with no walks in four innings of work this summer.
ON DECK
- The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will have travel to Princeton, W. Va., on Wednesday. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. ET at Hunnicutt Field, home of the Appalachian League’s Princeton WhistlePigs.
