AA Sox claim 13-3 win over Benton Sport Shop
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Joey Cates had three hits and drove in five runs as the Bryant Sport Shop Black Sox AA American Legion team earned its eighth win in the last 11 games Monday night at Bryant High School Field. With nine hits, the Sox took advantage of seven walks and seven errors to roll to victory over the Benton Sport Shop Junior Legion team.
Jordan Gentry added two hits and two runs batted in for the Sox who improved to 13-7 going into Wednesday’s doubleheader against Beebe at the Cabot City Park field.
Drew Brown allowed just one scratch hit through the first four innings of the five-frame run-rule contest. Benton scored three runs in the top of the fifth with two of its three hits. A fourth run, which would’ve extended the game, was caught at the plate as Gentry, the Bryant catcher, hustled after a ball that got away and fired to Brown covering the plate in time for the out that ended the game.
The Bryant right-hander retired seven of the first eight Benton batters. With two out in the third, Benton’s Blake Pennington hit a roller that ticked off Brown’s glove. Second baseman Daniel Darbonne rushed in to make a play on the ball but Pennington beat his throw to first for the first hit. Jacob Levart lined out to Myers Buck at third to end the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, the Sox turned a 2-0 lead into a 10-0 contest.
The first pair of runs scored in the opening inning. Hunter Oglesby beat out an infield hit and went to second on an errant throw to first to get things going. Cates ripped a single past first baseman Caleb Dorsey to drive him home.
Cates went to third when Gentry’s grounder to third resulted in a wild throw to first. After Caleb Chaffin walked to load the bases, Buck picked up the RBI with a groundout to second.
The game-breaking third started with a one-out single by Gentry. Chaffin looped a single to center and Buck cracked a single up the middle to fill the sacks for Preston Kyzer. He hit a hard grounder to Pennington at third but his throw to second for a force was mishandled and all hands were safe as Gentry scored.
C.J. Wallace cracked a single to center to make it 4-0 and another run scored when Daniel Darbonne reached on an error. Cameron Coleman walked to force in a run and, with two down, Cates drilled a two-run single to center. Gentry capped the inning with his second hit of the frame, a two-run double.
Brown worked a 1-2-3 top of the fourth and the Sox continued the onslaught in the home half with the help of three Benton miscues. The first came with two out and allowed pinch-hitter Noah Easterling to reach base. A wild throw on Coleman’s bouncer to third was followed by a walk to Oglesby to load the bases for Cates who yanked a two-run single to right. Oglesby made it 13 runs, strolling home when Gentry’s grounder to second was booted.
Singles by Logan Black and Dawson Dabbs set up Benton’s run-scoring fifth. With two down, Pennington and Levart walked to force in a run. Justin Garrett walked to force in Dabbs. Pennington scored on a wild pitch and when Levart tried to score, Gentry and Brown teamed up to get the final out.
