Cougar Minit gets the best of Mr. Roy in face-off

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, June 3, 2003

In the sweltering 94-degree heat Saturday afternoon, Cougar Minit Shop and Mr. Roy’s staged a classic pitcher’s duel in 11- and 12-year-old action at the Sportsplex.

Cougar Minit Shop pulled out the 2-1 win.

Mr. Roy’s Zeeshan Ali was nearly unhittable.

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He allowed one earned run in six innings of work.

He struck out nine batter and allowed four hits on the day.

But Cougar Minit’s duo of Mario Ross and Johnathan Hurt matched Ali.

Ross pitched the first two innings. He allowed two hits and an unearned run.

He struck out six batters.

Hurt took over from there he pitched the rest of the game, striking out 14 Mr. Roy’s batters.

Hurt allowed no hits.

The game was knotted at one going into the bottom of the inning.

Ross got a single, but Ali battled for two more outs bringing Hurt to the plate.

Hurt said he didn’t want to play extra innings in the heat.

Hurt prevented extra innings when he laced a ball to right field. The ball sailed over the fielder’s head.

Ross came all the way around to score and Hurt was standing on third with the game-winning triple.

Hurt had a single earlier in the game.

He took the win on the mound, as well.

Darius Hyatt was the only other Cougar Minit Shop hitter to get a base knock.

Brian Donovan and Ali had back-to-back singles in the first inning.

Mr. Roy’s didn’t get another hit.

Both Donovan and Ali each reached on errors later in the game.

Cornielius Woods worked a pair of walks and Eric Harrison and Phillip Green also walked for Mr. Roy’s.

Mr. Roy’s got on the board in the first inning.

Donovan singled and Ali moved him to third with a single.

Donovan came home on a passed ball.

Green worked a walk and stole his way to second.

Ross hunkered down and struck out the next two batters to strand the runners in scoring position.

Hyatt reached on an error in the bottom of the inning, but Ali and his defense quickly shut down the side.

The teams traded a scoreless second and Hurt came in and held Mr. Roy’s scoreless in the third.

Hyatt’s one-out single started the rally for Cougar Minit Shop in the third. Hyatt stole second and moved to third on a fly ball from Ross.

The defense caught Hyatt in a rundown after a wild pitch, but Hyatt barley escaped Ali’s sweeping tag and scored to tie the game.

Hurt reach third in the fourth inning.

He was the only runner to reach scoring position for Cougar Minit Shop until the sixth.

In the top of the fourth, Donovan and Ali each reached on an error.

They tried the double steal, but Ross gunned Donovan down at third.

Harrison reached second in the top of the sixth as Mr. Roy’s only other threat of the game.