Cape rules LL county tourney
Cape American Red Sox coach Bill Shuck knew his team had plenty of talent. In their Little League Lee County Tournament quarterfinal game Friday night against the Hancock White Sox, he learned they also have plenty of heart.
Leopold Merz of the White Sox hit a double that threatened to clear the bases and tie the game. However, D.J. Morrow’s throw to Levi Shuck, who made a perfect relay throw to catcher Robert Torres-Cobb, got P.J. Carpe at the plate to preserve the Red Sox’s dramatic 5-4 win at Jason Verdow Field in Cape Coral.
The Red Sox improved to 22-0 on the season and play in the semifinals at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at North Fort Myers Community Park against the South Fort Myers Phillies.
The Cape American White Sox advanced with a 7-2 win over the South Fort Myers Cardinals. They face the Hancock Pirates, a 6-0 winner over the South Fort Myers Marlins, in the semifinals at Buckingham Park.
“We faced an excellent team tonight. The White Sox were the best team we’ve faced,” Shuck said. “It was our toughest game all season.”
The White Sox (29-7) trailed 5-2 going into the sixth inning. With one out, Nolan Byers was walked by Red Sox pitcher Blaze Alexander. After a strikeout, Hunter Bontrager and Carpe singled to load the bases.
Merz then lofted one into deep left field that went to the wall on one hop, setting the stage for the dramatic ending.
“We had the runners going. (Morrow) double-clutched so we sent (Carpe) home,” White Sox coach Ray Adkins said. “The Red Sox were everything they were billed.”
Alexander pitched four innings in relief for the win and helped his own cause with a home run off the scoreboard in the first inning.
Alexander allowed five hits and three walks while striking out 10. Most important, he gutted out the last out.
“I thought it was a home run. Luckily we have a good outfielder,” Alexander said. “It felt pretty good to dent the scoreboard.”
“Blaze showed some gutty pitching. When I drafted him, I knew he had the ‘it’ factor,” Shuck said. “We also have 11 other ‘its’ that mean the world to me.”
The White Sox scored first when starting pitcher Michael Pac hit a solo home run down the right field line off Red Sox starter Tyler Shuck.
The Red Sox tied it on Alexander’s solo shot off Pac. Later that inning, Tyler Shuck doubled before Kaya Aydogmus singled him home to give the Red Sox the lead for good.
Travis Williams drove in Tre Bradwell for the Red Sox’s third run with an RBI single in the third. In the fourth, Andrew Knox bunted home Cobb on a suicide squeeze to make it 4-1. Acelya Aydogmus finished the Red Sox scoring when she scored on a wild pitch.
The White Sox weren’t finished. Bryce Adkins hit a solo home run in the fifth to make it 5-2 and set up the wild finish.
“I told them to leave it on the field and they did,” Shuck said.
Han. White Sox 100 012 4 8 0
CCA Red Sox 210 20x 5 5 0
W – Blaze Alexander (CCA). L – Michael Pac (Han).
2B – Tyler Shuck (CCA, Travis Thomas (Han), Leopold Merz (Han). HR – Pac (Han), Adkins (Han), Alexander (CCA).