Win over Sheridan gives Bryant hope
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By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
SHERIDAN — As the Bryant Hornets entered the final two weeks of the regular season, they faced a four-part challenge in their quest to return to the Class AAAAA State Tournament. Though they were tied for fifth in the conference, they were just two games out of first and very much in contention for one of the league’s four bids to state.
They could, however, ill afford a stumble as they took on three of the teams with which they were in contention in those final four games. (And the fourth is against Lake Hamilton, a team they lost to earlier this season.)
So far, so good.
The Hornets cracked 14 hits — the first time they’d reached double figures in hits since a March 15 win over Pine Bluff — and scratched out a 9-4 road win on Friday, April 19, that knocked the Sheridan Yellowjackets out of a first-place tie.
The Hornets improved to 6-5 in the conference, 18-6 overall. Sheridan dropped to 7-4 in the league, tied with Texarkana and Benton for second behind 8-3 Pine Bluff. Bryant was set to visit Texarkana on Tuesday, April 23.
Chance King, after a rough start, held Sheridan to just one hit after the second inning and, with seventh-inning help from Scotty Yant, picked up his sixth win in seven decisions this season.
It was also a fine return to the lineup for outfielder Cody Dreher. Out for three weeks with an ankle sprain, Dreher went 2-for-3 with a walk and a trio of runs batted in. Both of his hits were clutch two-out RBI singles. The first put the Hornets ahead after they’d trailed 4-2. The second extended the lead to 6-4 before a three-run sixth broke the game open.
Jeff Carpenter had three hits, B.J. Wood, Derek Chambers and Kevin Littleton had two each and Cody Graddy drove in a pair of runs.
“We needed that one bad,” declared Hornets coach Terry Harper. “A couple of hops went our way which was good to see. You kind of feel like we hadn’t been getting some of the breaks. We haven’t been playing real well, but we played well tonight. Chance did a good job. He had a few walks but he spread them out.
“We hit the ball well,” he added. “A couple of them are starting to buy into what we’ve been talking about, staying back a little bit and getting that early stride. We had 14 hits against some pretty good pitching. This is the kind of baseball we’re supposed to be playing. The kids played well. I’m proud of them.”
Bryant scored in all but two innings, taking the lead initially in the opening frame when Wood socked the first of his two doubles. He advanced on a wild pitch from Sheridan starter Ian Chumney and scored on a sacrifice fly by Graddy.
The Yellowjackets answered with a two-run home half of the inning in which they accumulated three of the five hits they would have in the game.
The Hornets tied it in the top of the second when Dreher’s first hit on a 3-2 count and two down chased hime Justin Woods who was in to run for Clay Jones. Jones had led off the inning with a single. Littleton moved Woods up with a sacrifice to set up Dreher.
Sheridan countered with two in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of a walk and a pair of two-out errors.
The Hornets took the lead in the third. Carpenter singled but was forced at second on a grounder to short by Wood. Graddy smashed a double to left and Wood raced all the way home from third to cut Sheridan’s lead to 4-3. Chambers followed with a single, extending his hitting streak to eight games. The tying run scored when Jones grounded out to second. An error allowing Littleton to reach base extended the inning then King helped himself with a clutch RBI single to give Bryant the lead.
Barnett, Sheridan’s ace right-hander took over in the third and ran into trouble in the fifth. Singles by Chambers, Littleton and Dreher made it 6-4.
Barnett, in the sixth., walked three including Dreher with the bases loaded. Littleton beat out an infield hit with the bases loaded to drive in a run and another scored on a two-out error.
In the bottom of the seventh, King retired the first batter on a nice play by Yant at shortstop but then hit Mosley with a pitch and walked Jared Winston. Yant came on in relief, got Carey to pop to center and fanned Barnett to end the game.
