Brandon “Fuego” Fuller leads Veterans' senior night shutout of ACE

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Veterans senior Brandon “Fuego” Fuller lets out a roar after securing the final out of a 2-0 shutout against ACE. Fuller had a 75% strike rate in his seven innings on the mound. (Clay Brown/HHJ)

KATHLEEN — Brandon Fuller, nicknamed “Fuego” by his teammates, is many things.

A future pilot, a budding photographer — and on Thursday night — one of two seniors celebrated on Veterans’ senior night.

Fuller went the full seven innings and threw 102 pitches in the Warhawks’ 2-0 shutout of the Academy for Classical Education. His two strikeouts don’t pop off the page, but in person his ability to keep the ball in the strike zone was dazzling.

He threw 77 strikes (75% of his pitches) and his entire arsenal kept the Gryphons behind in the count all night. ACE only managed six hits and half of those came in the first three innings.

“It was a great feeling. Obviously my family was here so it was great to see that, show out to my friends,” Fuller said. “I don’t want to take too much credit, my infield did so much. I don’t even know how many strikeouts I had, it wasn’t that much. But I know my infield was absolutely amazing, and my outfield had so much range.”

The defense made Fuller’s job an easy one. Their errors were kept at a minimum and they made some spectacular plays.

Steven Hafeychuck received a throw from the outfield and just grazed a runner to complete the double play in the third inning. He made a diving catch in the fourth and barely got a tag on second base for the final out.

Trey Byrd tipped what could have been a double and ended up tossing the first out of the sixth to Fuller at first base. Byrd handled a laser at-em ball during the next at-bat for the second out.

As a pitcher there are times when you can’t completely trust your defense. But Fuller had no such struggles against ACE.

“There’s some moments where you’re like, ‘I don’t know if [my defense is] going to be able to do this.’ When it came down to tonight…I felt so comfortable every single time I went up to the mound. I was like, ‘If I just throw strikes, they’re gonna get the balls,’” Fuller said.

This kind of cohesion is only possible because of time spent and the closeness of the team, something head coach Jeff Sans has seen grow first hand.

“I think even from the last four years that I’ve been here this group is the closest that I’ve seen,” Sans said. “They have fun together, they play hard together and they’re growing together. A lot of young kids.”

“Just from the beginning of the year you start seeing them believe in themselves a little bit,” He continued. “I mean that’s part of it when they’re really young. They’re getting a lot of experience and they’re growing up through it.”

Though the defense performed well it wasn’t the offense’s best night. Veterans only mustered four hits.

Their first set of at-bats started with an error that let Kason Flowers reach and two walks. But with the bases loaded and no outs the Warhawks’ lone score came from a sacrifice fly.

Landin Grant crushed the first pitch he saw in the third inning to bring Ethan Scott home for the final run of the evening.

But they did just enough. For a young team that’s still learning sometimes that’s all you can ask for.

“I just think they’re fighters,” Sans said. “They’re learning how to practice, they’re learning how to win and learning how to win close games. It’s exciting.”