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BANGOR – The Brewer Senior Leaguers simply could not hit the off-balance curveball of Cartersville, Ga., ace Chris Huth.
No big deal if you can catch up to the fastball, which Brewer’s hitters simply couldn’t do.
Huth, a 5-foot-7 right-hander, compiled nine strikeouts in a five-inning no-hitter as the U.S. South champs earned their first Senior League World Series victory with an 11-1, five-inning triumph over the Maine District 3 representatives at Mansfield Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Georgia improves to 1-2 with one game remaining in Pool A play today while manager Dave Perry’s Brewer club falls to 0-3.
“I don’t think we’ve seen one [like that] this year,” Perry said of Huth’s fastball. “He definitely had the best of any pitcher we’ve faced all year.”
Brewer starter Pat McEwen had trouble finding his bearings right from the get-go.
After two quick flyouts in the bottom of the first, he surrendered a double to Ben Bridges, followed by RBI singles by Hank Stewart and Huth to give Cartersville a quick 2-0 lead.
That was all the run support that Huth would need, even though he provided a little support of his own with a towering two-run home run over the 400-foot marker in center field in the bottom of the third which gave Georgia a 4-0 edge.
McEwen had problems with his location early on, getting into many three-ball counts and being forced to hum in fastballs, such as the 1-1 offering that Huth pounced on.
“They’re a good hitting team,” Perry said. “You got to give them credit. [McEwen] threw that one fastball and [Huth] jacked it.”
Brewer would get one back in the fourth, taking advantage of Huth’s wildness. Leadoff man Billy Bissell was hit by a Huth fastball to start the inning, and after walks to Joey Cox and Eric White – both on 3-2 pitches – Dylan Fitzpatrick lifted a sacrifice fly to right to get Brewer on the board.
Huth came back to strike out Chase Daniels swinging and Andy Bush looking on the aforementioned curveball to end the threat.
“We got that one run and I thought if we got a base hit there we’d be fine,” Perry said. “He [Huth] had us baffled.”
Fitzpatrick’s sacrifice fly was one of only two balls that Huth allowed out of the infield, while he caught five Brewer batters looking at third strikes.
“My curveball was working well today,” said Huth of his dancing, buckling breaking pitch.
He added that the no-hitter was the second he has pitched in his career.
Georgia answered Brewer’s run with three of their own in the home half of the fourth. Ben Bridges knocked in a run with a single while Stewart followed with an RBI double, his second RBI hit of the contest for a 7-1 Georgia lead.
Brewer was coming off a draining 17-12, three-hour, nine-inning loss to Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on Monday night, but Perry didn’t think that was an issue.
“I don’t think so,” said Perry. “I felt good about today. I don’t coach that team, but I think they saved their better pitcher for us than for Asia-Pacific.”
With that being said, Perry noted that rust had nothing to due with Wednesday’s outcome. Huth was simply unhittable.
“He pitched a great game for five innings,” Perry said. “He started us off with curveballs in the first inning and came back with the fastball. It just looked a lot faster.”
Cartersville wrapped things up with four more in the seventh. Garison Boston plated two with a double to deep center field, Cody Payne lifted a sac fly to left that barely missed a home run, and Brad Green’s RBI single wrapped it up.
U.S. SOUTH 11, MAINE DIST. 3 1
(Pool A, Wednesday, 6 innings)
Brewer Cartersville, GA
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Bissell, cf 1 1 0 0 Boston, 2b 4 2 2
Cox, 2b 1 0 0 0 Payne, 3b 3 0 1
Whte, 3b-ss 1 0 0 0 Bridges, ss 4 2 2
Fitzptrick, lf 1 0 0 0 Stewart, c 2 2
Dniels, ss-lf 2 0 0 0 Dickson, pr 0 0
Bush, c 2 0 0 0 Huth, p 3 1 2 3
Hlfen, 1b-p 2 0 0 0 Green, cf 2 1 0
Mrphy, lf-1b 2 0 0 0 Linn, rf 2 0 0
McEwen, p 2 0 0 0 Mntgmry, lf 1 1 0
McNlly, 3b 0 0 0 0 Greene, lf 1 0 0
Williams, 1b 1 1 1 0
Higgins, 1b 1 0 0 0
Totals 14 1 0 0 25 11 13 10
Brewer 000 10 – 1
Cartersville, GA 202 34 – 11
Two out when winning run scored
E-White; Williams; DP-White-Bush-Helfen; LOB-Cartesville, GA 5, Brewer 2; 2B-Bridges, Stewart, Boston; HR-Huth; SF-Fitzpatrick; Payne; SB-Philliber, Green
Brewer IP H R ER BB SO
McEwen (L) 4 11 9 8 1 1
Helfen 2/3 2 2 2 0 1
Cartersville, GA
Huth (W) 5 0 1 1 2 9
HBP-Bissell (by Huth; Willians (by McEwen), Stewart (by McEwen), Montgomery (by Helfen); WP-McEwen; Huth
T-1:19; A-700
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