PRINCETON, W. Va. — The Stars continued their recent stretch of domination on the mound Wednesday as three pitchers combined to fire the team’s third consecutive shutout over the Stars, 5-0, at Hunnicutt Field in Princeton, W. Va.
The Stars have not allowed a run over the last 21 innings of play, dating back to the sixth frame in Elizabethton last Friday. Over that stretch, they have yielded just 14 hits and three walks while striking out 21 batters.
Starting pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (East Carolina) picked up the win Wednesday, fanning four over three shutout frames to open the game. Will Sanders (South Carolina) picked up right where he left off, facing just one over the minimum in his three innings of work before Chris Villaman (NC State) closed out the victory with a scoreless ninth.
The top two run producers on this year’s USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, Gavin Cross (Virginia Tech) and Jacob Berry (LSU), continued their torrid tears and are now tied for the team lead with 12 RBIs each.
Cross drove in two runs while going 2-for-3 at the plate to up his batting average to .467 for the summer. Berry finished 1-for-3 with an RBI double, two runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.
KEY MOMENTS
- The Stars came firing out of the gate with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Kyle Teel (Virginia) opened the game with a base hit to right before coming home to score two batters later on Berry’s double. Berry then stole third and Cross brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
- Three more runs scored in the fifth as a Stripes error led to two unearned runs. Cross also knocked in his second runner of the contest with a single up the middle.
- The Stripes had only three baserunners over the first six innings, just one of which reached scoring position.
- They tried to mount a rally in the seventh though as singles from Ethan Long (Arizona State), Kevin Parada (Georgia Tech), and Jordan Sprinkle (UCSB) loaded the bases but Villaman was able to escape unscathed and end the game with his second strikeout.
NOTABLE INFORMATION
- The Stars have now held the Stripes scoreless over the last 21 innings, dating back to the sixth inning of last Friday’s contest in Elizabethton, Tenn.
- Cross and Berry combined for three RBIs on Wednesday and are now tied for the team lead with 12 RBIs each.
- Whisenhunt has now struck out 10 batters while walking just one in 6.0 innings this summer with Team USA.
ON DECK
- The USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will complete its tour of the Appalachian League on Thursday evening when it makes the trip to Bluefield, W. Va. The Stars and Stripes will play at 7 p.m. ET at Bowen Field, home of the Appy League’s Bluefield Ridge Runners.
