Curve's Hearn hurls first career shutout

Coming into the season, Taylor Hearn set a goal to pitch at least one complete game. So when he ended up with a four-inning complete game after a rain-shortened contest last week, he still wanted to finish one of greater length.
He had a feeling it could happen again but didn't think it would come in his very next start.
The Pirates' 10th-ranked prospect pitched a seven-inning four-hitter for his first career shutout as Double-A Altoona blanked Harrisburg, 1-0, in the opener of Tuesday's doubleheader at Peoples Natural Gas Field. 

"I didn't know when it was going to happen, but whether it was going to be seven or nine [innings], I said, 'I've gotta get me a complete game,'" Hearn said. "Who knew it would be the next game?"
Through four starts in April, the left-hander was 0-2 with a 5.75 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. Over his next 10 outings in May and June, he has a 2.35 ERA, recording 63 strikeouts over 53 2/3 innings.
Keeping in line with those numbers, Hearn (3-5) got back to business against the Senators by throwing 70 of 100 pitches for strikes. The 23-year-old recorded four perfect innings and faced five over the minimum overall. 
Gameday box score
Hearn said his fastball was working for most of the game, propelling him through a good chunk of seven innings. 
"It was fastball command, both sides of the plate, and being able to use my off-speed whenever I need to get guys out," he added. "Honestly, it was the fastball command and continuing to have confidence in it and showing them I could command it on both sides of the plate, basically."
The Senators put on some pressure in the first as Nationals No. 3 prospectCarter Kieboom walked with one out and 29th-ranked Taylor Gushue lined a two-out single to left. No. 22 Drew Ward worked the count full with two down, but Hearn got him to fly to center. 
Going through some high-stress moments in a 28-pitch first, the Oklahoma Baptist product got through his longest inning of the outing unscathed. 
"I think it puts a little pressure on me because now I have to stick to my game plan, but now I have to zone in," Hearn said of the first. "It was continuing the three pitch or less mentality and come at guys and get outs as quickly as I can -- get that pitch count down. One of the hardest things to think about it, but it's hard to not think about it when you have a pitch count. Fortunately, we have a big scoreboard, so you can't miss it."

Ward singled in the fourth and was the last batter to reach against Hearn until the seventh, when Harrisburg threatened again. Gushue led off with a knock up the middle before Ward smacked his second single of the game. The Texas native fanned Adam Brett Walker and Alec Keller for the first two outs, then got Osvaldo Abreu to ground to second to end it. 
Despite having two runners on with a chance to lose the shutout -- and potentially the game -- in the seventh, Hearn said the jam was something he enjoyed working through to reach a personal milestone. 
"It was a big relief, but honestly, I like moments like that," he said. "Anytime I've got runners on or late in the game like I'm trying to get a complete game like I did today, that's where I really bear down even more. It shows what more I can do as a starter and get out of clutch situations with runners on base."

The outing was Hearn's third career start of seven innings and second this month. He dropped his ERA to 3.28 and his WHIP to 1.11, which rank 10th and fifth in the Eastern League, respectively. Following Monday's shutout behind eight brilliant innings from top Pirates prospect Mitch Keller, Hearn was more than happy to extend the Curve's scoreless streak, which reached 24 1/3 innings after they closed out another 1-0 victory in Tuesday's nightcap. 
"It just goes to show how as a staff that we try to feed off of each other and just keep the ball going," Hearn said. "We were coming out early in the game and setting the tone, and our hitters feed off that. The better we can do that, then the better off we'll be in the game."
Sixth-ranked Pirates prospect Bryan Reynolds backed up Hearn with an RBI single in the first. In Game 2, Jordan George provided the only offense with a run-scoring double.
Jaron Long (1-6) also went the distance for the Senators in Game 1, allowing a run on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in his second complete game of the season.