By Brad Greer
 A pitchers’ duel highlighted a pair of American Legion baseball games Monday night as the A’s maintained their two game lead with a 2-0 blanking of the Red Sox.
Decota Perry, Bo Williams and Dawson Griffin combined to strike out 13 batters while surrendering three hits over six innings. Red Sox hurlers Ian Cole, Denver Brown, Luke Weldon and Nathan Walls held the A’s to four hits on the night and walked three batters.
The A’s (7-1) broke a scoreless game in the fifth as Kameron Burns drew a bases loaded walk with two outs to force in Tanner Jaudon who led off the inning with a single. Jay Potts gave the A’s a big insurance run in the sixth with a leadoff single before later scoring on a wild pitch. The A’s left the bases loaded in the second, fifth and sixth innings.
Cole paced the Red Sox (2-6) at the plate with two singles while Shawn Payne added a single in the fourth. Forrest Pierce registered a double and Griffin chipped in with a single for the A’s.
Yankees-4 Royals-2
Drake Barton’s bases clearing double with two outs ignited a four-run third inning rally to lift the Yankees over the Royals.
Mason Lawton and Ray Willis drew walks in the third and Brady Darby singled to load the bases before Barton blasted a double to deep left to blow the game open. Gage Heath followed with an RBI single to plate Barton for the final run.
The Yankees (5-3) registered six hits in the game as Caleb White had two singles while Hunter West also registered a single. Barton, Caleb West and White tossed two innings each for the second place Yankees.
Dalton Barefoot singled and scored both runs for the Royals who fell to 2-6 on the season. Ladarrius Pride and Brandon Phelps also contributed with singles.