EDITOR'S NOTE: All youth teams are welcome to submit scorebooks with rosters to rob@bryantdaily.com for game reports.
The Action Sports Pix A’s snapped a three-game winning streak and posted two wins in a row[more] over the last week in Bryant Athletic Association Rookie League baseball at Bishop Park.
On Monday, June 3, the A’s downed Middleton Heat and Air, 10-1. The next night, they edged Landers, 9-8.
In the win over Landers, the A’s rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to overcome an 8-6 deficit. Luke Bickerstaff, who was 4 for 4 in the game, drove in C.J. Nagle with the winning run with one out in the sixth.
Nagle finished with three hits. Dakota Bunt, Braxton Fischer and Colson Billingsley added two hits each.
For Landers, Andrew Blacklaw and Brenden Bates each went 3 for 3. Matthew Cline, Matthew Griffe, Samual Bess and Gavin Shelby each had two hits.
ASP opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when Nagle, Bickerstaff and Bunt each singled then worked a triple steal.
Landers countered with two in the top of the second to grab a lead. Bess doubled, advanced on a groundout by Lakin Woods and scored on Bates’ base hit. Shelby doubled to bring Bates home.
A three-run third increased the Landers’ lead to 5-1. Consecutive hits by Aden Palmer, Blacklaw, Cline and Griffe produced the first two runs. Cline scored on a steal of home.
The A’s stayed close with their own three-run uprising in the bottom of the inning. Nagle’s one-out single got it started. Bickerstaff singled then Bunt drove both home with a double. Fischer beat out an infield hit to set the stage for Jayden Everett’s RBI single to make it 5-4.
Both teams added runs in the fourth. Landers’ came on singles by Bates and Shelby and an RBI groundout off the bat of Wesley Stratton. ASP’s was the result of singles from Billingsley and Gage Horn in advance of Bickerstaff’s double.
The teams matched runs in the fifth as well. Cline’s inside-the-park homer gave Landers a 7-5 lead but Fischer singled to start the bottom of the inning, went to second on a groundout by Everett then scored when the ball was thrown away.
In the sixth, Landers bumped the lead again. Bess doubled and Blake Crone singled. When Woods grounded into a force at second, Bess scored to make it 8-6 going into the final half inning.
The game-winning rally opened with singles from Landen Kuhn and Billingsley. Horn bounced into a force at second with Kuhn hustling home to make it 8-7. Nagle doubled in Horn to tie it then Bickerstaff capped off the comeback with his RBI single.
In the A’s win over Middleton, Horn, Nagle, Bickerstaff and Fischer each went 3 for 3 at the top of the batting order. Bunt and Lee Eskridge added two hits apiece.
For Middleton, Clay Crawford and Cason Trickey each contributed two hits.
ASP grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the opening inning. Bickerstaff singled in Horn and Nagle after they’d opened the game with hits then worked a double steal to get to second and third. Fischer singled and Bunt bounced out to get Bickerstaff to third. He then stole home.
The A’s added the maximum four runs in the top of the third on consecutive singles by Horn, Nagle, Bickerstaff and Fischer. Along the way, Bickerstaff was thrown out trying to steal but Bunt doubled and Eskridge singled to drive in runs.
Middleton got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Dawson Brown and Jake Herdner each singled. Hayden Calhoun grounded into a force at third but Mikey Nelson’s base hit plated the run.
ASP finished off the scoring in the bottom of the inning. Horn singled, stole a base and scored on Nagle’s third hit. Though Nagle was thrown out trying to steal, Bickerstaff, Fischer and Bunt cracked base hits to produce a run and, After Tristan Shamlin drew a walk, Eskridge ended it with a base hit that plated Fischer.
