Brewer comes one out shy of pitching shutout as Canton baseball team defeats Illini West

CANTON, Mo. — Preston Brewer continues to show that his prowess on the prep sports scene is not limited to the basketball court.

The 6-foot-8 senior right-hander struck out eight and did not give up an earned run in 6 ⅔ innings as the Canton baseball team stymied Illini West 6-1 on Tuesday.

Brewer reached the maximum allotment of 105 pitches after walking Nick Bruns with two outs in the seventh. An error on the next play brought in the Chargers’ only run before Drew Gottman got Grady Blue to fly out to end the game.

Brewer, the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 2 Player of the Year this winter, has compiled a 0.89 ERA in 23 ⅔ innings this spring. He did not record a hit on Tuesday, but he is batting .448 with a .543 on-base percentage, .690 slugging percentage and 14 RBIs.

The Tigers scored all six runs in the fifth and sixth innings, three in each inning. A bases-loaded walk by Ian Burbridge gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead, then Brewer’s sacrifice fly and Brett Ehrenreich’s single extended that lead to three. Burbridge hit a three-run home run with two outs in the sixth to double the Tigers’ lead.

After Carter Chapin singled leading off the game, the Chargers had just one hit during the rest of the game.

The Tigers (7-2) hit the road for a date with Moberly on Thursday. The Chargers (14-5) also have a day off before a road game against Rock Island Alleman on Thursday.