By Rob Patrick
Trailing 8-3 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Little Rock Post 1 Blue Senior American Legion team erupted for eight runs to overtake rival Little Rock Continental Express. Blue used five pitchers and held on for a 14-11 win in the first round of the Zone 4 Tournament at Bryant High School Friday.
Nine-hole hitter Macon Speed had four hits for Blue and was robbed of a fifth on a nice play at second by Dillon Owen in the ninth inning. Speed drove in four and scored twice. Davis Ward added three hits and wound up closing out the win as the fifth Blue pitcher.
The tourney's fourth-seeded team, Blue advances to play regular-season champion Bryant at 1 p.m. on Saturday while Continental, the fifth seeded team, returns to action in an elimination game Saturday at 4 against the loser of the Texarkana-Benton game which will be played at 10 a.m.[more]
The game was tied 3-3 after three innings. In the top of the fourth, the Express shattered that deadlock. Owen walked and Lance Black reached on an error to start the inning. Dan Aday sacrificed them to second and third then Jordan Getchel crushed a 2-2 delivery from Tyler Brown, Blue's second pitcher, for a three-run home run.
And when Ivan Tate and Scott Chalene followed with singles, moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single to right by Justin Williams, Continental had piled up its 8-3 lead. Hayes made a bid to keep the inning going with a drive to right but Speed ran it down to retire the side.
Blue manager Mike Johnson met with his team awhile before the start of the bottom of the fourth and his players responded. Speed singled up the middle, Tyler Brown walked and John Gray singled to load the bags. Speed scored when Dustin Ward bounced to first. But, Taylor Brown walked to load the bases again and a wild pitch allowed a second run to score. Michael Marsh's grounder to Owen at third, resulted in an out at the plate but Davis Ward kept the inning going with an RBI single to make it 8-6. And when the throw to the plate bounced in the dirt and ricocheted away from catcher Scott Chalene, runners were at second and third. Walks to Joe Ramm and Will Andress forced in the tying run.
Speed then made it an even bigger inning with a two-run single to center. And when he took second on a late throw to the plate, the table was set for Tyler Brown who slapped a single to right that made it 11-8.
After a rugged fourth in relief of Dustin Ward, the Blue starter, Tyler Brown settled down and shut out the Express through the seventh inning. Blue added to its lead in the bottom of the seventh, sparked by a bunt single by Gray who stole second and took third when no one was at second to take the throw from Chalene, the Express catcher. Dustin Ward singled to right to bring Gray in and Taylor Brown cracked a double to right to keep things going. Marsh singled in a run, forcing a pitching change.
After a gutty outing, Clint Green gave way to Josh Alberius who got the first out. Joe Ramm then skied out to center, driving in a run to make it 14-8. Will Andress singled to right but Marsh was thrown out trying to get to third to retire the side.
Taylor Brown preserved the lead with a scoreless inning of relief in the eighth but, when the ninth rolled around and Marsh was on in relief, Continental made one last-ditch stab at a comeback. Singles by Lance Black and a walk Will Parham were followed by an infield hit by Getchel, loading the bases. And when Tate drew an RBI walk, Davis Ward came on in relief. An error allowed a second run to score but then Ward struck out Manney, got Williams to ground into a force that brought home a run, then fanned pinch-hitter Adam Hamaker to end the game.
Blue had taken a 2-0 lead in the second when Davis Ward beat out an infield hit, Ramm blooped one to right-center and, after Andress sacrificed the runners to second and third, Speed came through with a two-run single to right.
Continental took the lead with three in the top of the third. Aday started the big inning with a walk and, an out later, Tate beat out a bunt single. Chalene walked to load the bases for Manney who drilled a single to right to drive in a pair, tying the game. Williams followed with a sacrifice fly to put his team ahead.
Taylor Brown walked to start Blue's answering rally in the bottom of the third. Marsh singled and, after Davis Ward was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Continental turned a 4-6-3 doubleplay as Brown scored. That set the stage for the wild fourth.
LITTLE ROCK BLUE 14, LITTLE ROCK CONTINENTAL EXPRESS 11
Senior American Legion
LR Continental Express ab r h bi LR Blue ab r h bi
Getchel, lf-cf 6 2 3 3 Ty.Brown, cf-p-3b 5 1 2 2
Tate, rf 4 2 2 1 Gray, lf 5 1 2 0
Chalene, c 5 2 1 1 Du.Ward, p-cf-rf-1b 4 1 1 2
Manney, 1b 6 0 1 2 Ta.Brown, ss-p 3 3 1 1
Williams, cf-p 4 0 2 4 Marsh, 1b-p 5 1 2 1
Hayes, dh 4 0 1 0 Da.Ward, 3b-p 4 2 3 1
Gibson, lf 0 0 0 0 Ramm, c 3 2 1 1
Hamaker, ph 1 0 0 0 Andress, 2b 3 1 1 1
Owen, 3b-2b 4 1 0 0 Speed, rf-ss 5 2 4 4
Black, ss 5 2 1 0
Aday, 2b 2 1 1 0
Parham, 3b 0 1 0 0
Green, p 0 0 0 0
Alberius, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 41 11 12 11 Totals 37 14 17 13
Continental 003 500 003 — 11
Blue 021 800 30x — 14
E—Ta.Brown 3, Andress 2, Williams, Marsh, Black. DP—Continental 1. LOB—Continental 13, Blue 9. 2B—Ta.Brown. HR—Getchel. SB—Gray. S—Andress, Aday. SF—Williams, Ramm.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Continental Express
Green (L) 6 14 14 16 7 1
Alberius 1 0 0 1 0 0
Williams 1 0 0 0 0 0
Blue
Du.Ward 3 3 3 2 4 2
Ty.Brown (W) 4 5 2 7 2 3
Tay.Brown 1 0 0 1 0 2
Marsh 0 3 2 2 2 1
Da.Ward 1 0 0 0 0 2
Green faced four batters in the seventh.
Marsh faced four batters in the ninth.
HBP—Da.Ward (by Green). WP—Green 3, Ty.Brown 2, Tay.Brown.
