BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier
Jace Smith made his professional debut on Wednesday afternoon in Surprise, Ariz.
For the Texas native and former King College ace pitcher, it probably couldn’t have turned out much better.
Smith tossed a shutout inning of relief and was credited with the win for the rookie-level Arizona League Royals in their 6-5 victory over the Arizona League Padres.
Smith entered in the second inning and was one of six pitchers used by the Royals. He preceded to strike out the first batter he faced – the Padres’ Aaron Murphree.
He got Chris Hardin to fly out and retired Bill Shaughnessy on a grounder to end the perfect inning. He was made a winner in the bottom of the inning as the Royals pushed across three runs to erase a 1-0 deficit.
It was fitting that Smith earned a win in his pro debut, since victories were prevalent during his days on the mound for King. He went 13-5 in his final two seasons for the Tornado, including a 7-1 mark this past spring.
Smith was signed by the Kansas City organization as a non-drafted free agent.
Meanwhile, Smith’s ex-King teammate — Eric Allen — also made his professional debut this week.
Allen worked 2/3 of an inning for the Arizona League Cubs on Tuesday in their 4-3 win over the Arizona League Giants.
“Leading up to it, I was more nervous than when I stepped on the field,” Allen said. “It’s a new experience, definitely. But I’m enjoying it a lot.”
Taking over for starter Julio Pena in the fifth inning, Allen walked the first batter he faced before getting Ehire Adrianaza to line into a double play.
That was followed by two walks and a single that allowed an unearned run to score. Allen’s debut was then done as he was taken out of the game.
“I was obviously pretty excited to make my debut,” Allen said. “The results were not what I wanted. But it was my first time out and I was just getting my feet wet. I hope to improve on that … It sure does
feel good to get the first one out of the way.”
thayes@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2570
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