Luke Bickerstaff wound up striking out and the Bryant Black Sox 15U Junior American Legion team didn’t score in the bottom of the fourth during the second game of a doubleheader with Lakeside on Wednesday night. But when he came to the plate, Lakeside’s right-hander Griffin Gulley had thrown 73 pitches while limiting the Sox to two hits. By repeatedly fouling off two strike pitches, that number inflated considerably. Bickerstaff and Gulley battled for 12 pitches. And by the time, Gulley finished the inning, his pitch count was up to 90.
And he had to come out of the game.
Trailing 4-3, the Sox faced a reliever Brock Prince in the bottom of the fifth and they rallied for a walk-off win in the five-inning game, 5-4.
That completed a sweep of the twinbill for the Black Sox, who won the first game 10-4, led by speedster Jordan Knox who went 3 for 4 and scored four runs. Clay Crawford had two hits and two runs batted in while Gage Horn knocked in three.
The wins improved the Sox to 9-10 going into a game against Cabot on Monday, July 6. The team has now won four of its last five games.
“In the first game, we had a couple of two-out hits that were clutch especially when they started catching up,” said Coach Michael Catton. “It kind of put it away. That was a positive. And we threw strikes for the most part. In all our losses here lately, we haven’t been throwing strikes. That’s key. It makes them hit it and our defense is pretty decent for the most part. We were sloppy here and there but when they hit it, we typically make the routine plays.”
It’s the first year of Legion ball for everyone on the team. Asked to assess their progress, Catton said, “When we throw strikes, I like where we’re at. When we don’t throw strikes, nobody likes it.
“For the most part, we’re coming along, getting a little bit better,” he related. “We’ve still got to execute, understand counts and knowing what kind of swing to put on it in certain situations, what we’re supposed to be looking for.”
Bryant 10, Lakeside 4
The Black Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings, but Lakeside rallied and trailed 5-3 going into the bottom of the fifth. That’s when the Sox put together a five-run burst to put the clamps on the victory. Those clutch hits Catton was talking about included a two-run single by Horn, an RBI single by Brady Brower, an infield knock for Knox and an inning-capping two-run double by Clay Crawford.
Bickerstaff, who relieved starter Hunter Holt in the fourth, surrendered three runs in four innings but only one of them was earned. Holt allowed just one run through the first three frames but had to work out of trouble in each, building up a pitch count of 67.
Holt picked off a runner from second to take the starch out of a two-on, no one out fix.
In the bottom of the inning, Knox beat out a chopper that Lakeside pitcher Chase Tittle could only tip. He stole second but remained there until, with two outs, Aden Palmer singled him home.
And an infield hit by Carson Kemp kept the inning going. When Grant Dunbar and Mason Butler were each hit by a pitch, it forced in Palmer. A walk to Horn pushed Kemp in to make it 3-0.
Holt worked around a two-out walk and a single by Towle Douglas in the second and, in the home half, the Sox added a tally. Knox beat out another infield hit and made the second baseman rush hit throw. It went wild and Knox wound up at second. Crawford’s single put runners at the corners. Holt then got a squeeze bunt down to plate Knox.
In the top of the third, a lead-off walk to Prince and an error on a fly to left put two aboard. An infield hit by Aydan Easter loaded the bases and, after Butler saved a run with a running catch of a fly down the line in right off the bat of Hudson Ellison, Gulley walked to force in Lakeside’s first run.
But Holt came back to strikeout Yancy Rainwater, forcing Lakeside to strand three.
Douglas, a lefty set down the Sox in the bottom of the inning then Bickerstaff eased through a 1-2-3 fourth.
Knox manufactured a run in the bottom of the fourth. He struck out on a pitch in the dirt and was so quick to first that Ellison, the Lakeside catcher, rushed his throw and fired it into the right-field corner. Knox sprinted all the way to third. Moments later, he scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
A walk and an error helped Lakeside cut into the margin in the top of the fifth. Ellison laced a double down the line in left to drive home both runners to make it 5-3.
But Bickerstaff worked out of the inning to keep it a two-run game.
Bryant’s game-breaking fifth began with a one-out single to center by Dunbar. Butler was thumped by a pitch again. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch and Horn came through with his two-run single to center.
Horn stole second, moved the third on Bickerstaff’s grounder to the right side then Brower singled to make it 8-3. Knox hit a slow roller towards short and, though Prince charged and fielded it cleanly, Knox beat it out for his third infield hit. He then scored all the way from first behind Brower on Crawford’s double to left-center.
Lakeside put two aboard in the top of the sixth, but second baseman Reid Catton made a nice play on a ball up the middle, stepped on second and fired to first for an inning-ending doubleplay.
In the seventh, Brennan Browning led off with a double. He stole second and scored on an errant throw. But Bickerstaff induced a pair of popups and, after a bloop single by Gulley, ended the game on a liner to left.
Bryant 5, Lakeside 4
The Sox trailed 4-3 going into the bottom of the fifth. Knox was hit by a pitch to start the rally. He stole second then Crawford beat out a bunt single. And while Lakeside’s players weren’t paying attention, Crawford took second without a throw.
With one out, Palmer walked to load the bases and Prince just couldn’t find the strike zone. He hit Dunbar to force in the tying run then walked Butler on four pitches. It was a walk walk-off.
Lakeside scored first in the game with three in the top of the second. Ellison doubled then Guffey singled. A wild pickoff throw from starting pitcher Lakin Woods allowed Ellison to score and Guffey to wind up at third. Rainwater walked on a pitch in the dirt that allowed Easter, running for Guffey, to score.
Rainwater would score from third on a groundout by Simon Gudino.
Bryant countered, scoring three on just one hit. Walks to Dunbar, Butler and Horn loaded the bases. Catton was awarded first on catcher’s interference, awarding home to Dunbar. With two out, Knox beat out another infield hit to make it 3-2. Crawford tied it with an RBI walk.
Gulley got out of the inning at that point and was stingy with the Sox through the next two innings. But Bickerstaff’s 12-pitch at-bat helped finish Gulley on the mound.
In the meantime, Lakeside had regained the lead in the top of the third. A one-out throwing error put Browning at second. Easter came up with an RBI single.
Though Ellison singled and, with two down, Rainwater walked again to load the bases Woods got out of the jam with no further damage, getting Douglas to ground out to Palmer at first.
Kemp relieved for the Sox in the fourth and eased through the inning around an infield hit by Prince. In the top of the fifth, a trio of walks filled the bases but Kemp struck out Gudino to escape an damage, setting up the Sox’ winning comeback.
