Baseball: Elijah Endress, Bryce Helms pitch Bureau Valley to shutout over Mendota

MANLIUS – The Bureau Valley Storm did a little bit of everything Wednesday.

They scored on a wild pitch, they bunted runners over, they outhit the visiting Mendota Trojans and threw two pitchers to combine for a shutout.

It all added up to a 3-0 victory in Three Rivers East action.

“I thought our kids battled and kids executed. Got the bunt down. (Had) good base running. It’s a good win. We needed it,” BV coach Ryan Schisler said.

Storm starter Elijah Endress pitched six scoreless innings for the win, allowing four hits and one walk, while striking out five.

“That’s the best I’ve seen him pitch,” said Storm reliever Bryce Helms, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

Helms pitched around an error in the seventh, retiring the next three batters with one strikeout before getting Izaiah Nunez to fly out to center field to end the game.

“Heckuva job by Elijah going six strong innings. Bryce pitched strong, too,” Schisler said.

“Give credit to their pitcher (Endress). Threw a lot of strikes, kept us off balance,” Mendota coach Cody Zinke said. “We got some guys on base. Couldn’t get them in. They got the hits when they needed them. We had 12 hits last time against them. Four hits today.

“The best thing about baseball, you move on to the next game.”

After three scoreless innings, Landen Birdsley used his legs to get the Storm on the board in the bottom of the fourth.

He drew a leadoff walk, stole second with one out and took third on a groundout by Drake Taylor. Logan Philhower was hit by a pitch before Birdsley raced home on a wild pitch to make it 1-0.

Helms kept the Storm going with a one-out single in the fifth. He stole second with two outs and scored from there when Endress dropped a single just in front of diving center fielder Cale Strouss.

The Storm (6-7, 1-2) tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Philhower doubled to right, moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Birkey and scored on an infield single by Blake Foster.

Foster led the Storm with two hits, including a double.

Brody Hartt led the Trojans (5-4, 2-4) with two hits.

* The Bureau Valley JV won the nightcap 3-0 over Mendota.