There were no scouts with radar guns at Pierce Field Tuesday night, so the only real gauge of how hard Michael Busby was throwing were the sounds.

The gunshot-like noise of a fastball in the low 90-mph-range slamming into the catcher’s mitt, followed by a few grumbled words of either frustration or admiration, and then finally the muted sound of footsteps shuffling back toward the dugout.

Busby, Porters Chapel Academy’s ace and a Mississippi State signee, struck out 14, walked none and only allowed three batters to reach base in a dominant 7-0 shutout of Adams Christian.

“I felt real good all night. I got stronger as the game went on,” said Busby, who also helped his own cause by going 3-for-4 with a solo homer, double and

two runs scored. “I was 88 or 89 (mph). I wish they had a gun, because that’s the best I’ve felt all year.”

Busby’s estimate of his velocity may have been on the low end by most accounts. After ACCS leadoff man Luke Brumfield fouled off four pitches before lacing a hard single to right in the first inning, Busby only allowed two more runners.

Austin Weeks hit a fly ball that dropped into right in the fourth inning, but it likely would have been caught if it hadn’t hit a wire suspended above the field. In the sixth, Brumfield reached again on a dropped third strike with

two outs.

Neither runner advanced, and the Rebels (6-6, 0-1 District 4-AA) only hit three balls out of the infield — the hits by Brumfield and Weeks, and a flyout by Brumfield in the fourth.

“He’s the real deal. There’s a lot of hype about him and it’s all well-deserved,” ACCS coach Ron Rushing said. “I thought we played well early, but sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the other guy.”

PCA (16-0, 1-0) needed Busby to be dominant, because its bats had a rare off night. The Eagles came in averaging almost 10 runs a game, but managed just two through the first five innings Tuesday.

Busby lofted his home run over the left field fence in the bottom of the first, and Matt Cranfield singled up the middle to score Moose Carney later in the inning for a 2-0 lead. Cranfield was picked off of second to end a bases-loaded threat, and PCA’s bats went into hibernation until the fifth inning.

ACCS starter Colin Dollar kept PCA in check, scattering six hits and walking three in four innings. He struck out three before allowing a leadoff single to Busby in the bottom of the fifth and giving way to Brian Sanderson.

“We did have trouble,” Busby said. “(Dollar) threw changeups and curveballs in the dirt and made us chase bad pitches.”

After Busby’s single to start the fifth, ACCS fell apart. Carney and Hayden Hales reached base on back-to-back errors, and Busby scored on the second one to make it 3-0.

After Hales was thrown out stealing and Cody Ferguson lined out, Cranfield drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and third for Brady Towne. Towne singled up the middle to bring in one run, then ACCS’ center fielder misplayed the ball and allowed it to roll all the way to the fence. Towne circled the bases, dodging catcher Eric Perry as the throw came toward the plate for a backbreaking three-run play and a 6-0 lead.

“I was pretty gassed, then I tripped coming around third so it made my legs kind of weak,” laughed Towne, who also drew two walks in the game.

Spencer Pell then walked and scored from first on another outfield error off a hit by Robbie Simms for PCA’s final run. In all, the Eagles scored five unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth off of four ACCS errors.

“A couple of them were hard-hit balls. We just didn’t get to them and make the plays,” Rushing said.