Hornets cool off ’Jackets, 6-3
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting 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).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Coming into the AAAAA-South Conference Tournament, most people would’ve figured that the Pine Bluff Zebras, the regular season champs with a 6-1 league mark and 25-1 overall record, would be considered the hottest team in the league.
But that was not the case.
Despite the Z’s gaudy mark, it was the Sheridan Yellowjackets that came into the tourney on the biggest roll, sporting a five-game winning streak that increased to six with a quarterfinal round win over Texarkana that clinched a State tournament bid.
Among Sheridan’s victims in that five-game stretch was the Bryant Hornets, who suffered their first — and only — loss on their new home field at the hands of the Jackets on April 17.
But, on Monday in the semifinals of the league tourney, the Hornets cooled off the Jackets with a 6-3 win that put Bryant in the championship game.
Right-hander Chris Sory (4-2) started against Sheridan for the third time this season. In the previous outings, Sory had a tough loss (4-3) and a no decision (leaving with the game 2-2 after six innings). This time, he earned the win by scattering four hits, working around four errors and getting seventh inning help from Scott Yant, who picked up his second save of the season.
Bryant catcher Cody Graddy, back in the groove after a prolonged slump, ripped a solo homer and an RBI single to spark the offensive effort against Sheridan right-hander Ian Chumney, who had beaten the Hornets 5-2 in the most recent meeting between the two teams.
Graddy’s home run was the first hit of the game. It came with two out in the second on a 3-2 delivery from Chumney.
Sory surrendered a one-out hit to Zach Barnett in the third then found himself in a pickle after an error. But he wriggled off the hook to keep the shutout intact.
The Hornets then added to their lead in the bottom of the inning. Derik Chambers walked and was sacrificed to second. Matt White cracked a single up the middle to put runners at the corners then Chumney was cited for a balk allowing B.J. Wood (running for Chambers) to score. White then swiped third — his team-leading 15th theft of the season, and scored on a grounder to short by Brandon Nichols to make it 3-0.
Sheridan got a run in the top of the fourth. B.J. McCurley drew a lead-off walk, advanced on a wild pitch, took third on a grounder to short then scored on a single up the middle by Craig Manatt. The Jackets eventually got the potential tying runs to second and third with one out but Sory got Russ Carey to foul out to Graddy and Barnett to fly to White in center to get out of trouble.
Beau Hamblin blasted a triple to lead off the Bryant fourth. Graddy singled him home. Courtesy runner Kevin Littleton swiped second and, with two outs and an 0-2 count, Zack Martin slapped a clutch RBI single to right to make it 5-1.
A pair of errors resulted in a Sheridan run in the top of the fifth but the Hornets turned a doubleplay to keep it at that.
Nichols cracked a lead-off double in the bottom of the inning. He tagged up when Dustin Morris drilled a long fly to center and when the relay got past the third baseman and sailed into the Bryant dugout, he was allowed to score.
Sory worked a 1-2-3 sixth then surrendered a single to Carey to start the seventh. Morris, at second, robbed Barnett of a hit to get the first out of the inning but Jason Wood followed with an RBI single. Sory’s first pitch to the next batter, Jeremy Orman, was wild moving Wood into scoring position.
Bryant head coach Terry Harper then turned to Yant who got Orman to ground to short then Josh Anderson to fly to right to end the game.
