Blacksox reach State championship game
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).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
FORT SMITH — The Bryant Blacksox will play for the AAA American Legion State championship on Saturday, Aug. 7, at 4 p.m., at Crowder Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Behind stingy pitching from lefty James Leigh and a hitting performance that included four hits and six runs batted in by Richie Wood, the Sox, 36-8, thumped Area 4 rival Texarkana 16-2 in seven innings in the winners bracket final on Monday, Aug. 2.
It was Texarkana’s first loss in the tourney. The Razorbacks were set to play Fort Smith Kerwins in the losers bracket finals on Tuesday, Aug. 2, to determine Bryant’s opponent in the championship round. (Kerwins won 13-3.)
The State champion will advance to the Mid-south Regional Tournament at Crowley, La., beginning with a 9:30 a.m. game against the Texas champion (Texarkana, Texas) on Thursday, Aug. 12.
It will be the third time in 10 years under coaches Craig and Tic Harrison that Bryant has played for a State title. They won in 1995, finished as runners-up in 1996.
Wood, who came into the game riding a 1-for-11 slump, came through with a trio of two-run singles to spark the Sox offense. Justin Wells also had four hits and Dustin Easterly three as Bryant banged out 14, all told.
“In that (No. 6) hole where he is, Richie’s going to come up with a lot of runners on base,” Manager Craig Harrison noted. “He’s been struggling. We pulled him (Sunday against Sylvan Hills). I talked to him a little bit, said, ‘Richie, we’ve got to have somebody in that spot that’s going to hit the baseball. We’ve got four outfielders that can play.’”
The Sox were facing right-hander Steve Smith, who had pitched well against them using a change-up to particular effect, in Texarkana’s two wins over Bryant at the District Tournament in Pine Bluff a few days earlier.
“I looked at our lineup against Smith,” Harrison said. “Richie had handled the guy a little bit, so we went with him. When the players do good things, it makes the coach look good.”
Leigh, who had pitched five innings and allowed just one run in Bryant’s only District Tournament win over Texarkana, held the Razorbacks without a hit until a chopper by C.T. Almand bounced over third baseman Jeff Carpenter to lead off the fourth. It was a one-hit shutout going into the sixth and, by that time, Bryant had built a 13-0 lead, highlighted by a 10-run fifth. Singles by Ty Sheppard and Almond, a pair of passed balls and a groundout produced Texarkana’s lone runs.
Daniel Minton relieved Leigh in the seventh and retired the side in order to close out the game.
“When James came out in the first inning and had his good stuff, especially his breaking pitch — it was working really nice — when James throws that then he’s a really effective pitcher,” Harrison asserted.
The Sox took a 3-0 lead in the third when Easterly beat out an infield hit, Todd Bryan sacrificed him to second then Carpenter walked. Wells singled in the first run. With two down, Scott Peeler walked to load the bases for Richie Wood who fouled off one 0-2 delivery from Smith before slapping a two-run single up the middle.
In the fifth, Wells and Travis Wood got things started with singles. The Sox then got something big going by playing small as Peeler got down a bunt to move the runners up and wound up safely at first with his hustle. In a mix-up over who was covering first, Smith’s throw was dropped, loading the bases for Richie Wood who again came through, slapping a two-run single to right that chased Smith.
Cory Lambert kept things going with a bunt single. Korey Hunter’s grounder to third resulted in a wild throw to the plate that allowed both Peeler and Richie Wood to score.
Easterly singled in a run and Bryan walked to load the bases.
After Texarkana finally recorded an out, Wells blooped a single to right to drive in a run, making it 9-0. Easterly scored on a wild pitch and, with two down Peeler walked to load the bags again for Richie Wood’s third two-run single of the game, second of the inning.
A walk to Lambert loaded the bases once more and Hunter took one for the team to force in the 10th run of the inning.
Hunter would later double in a run as part of a three-run seventh that also included Richie Wood’s fourth single and Easterly’s third hit of the game.
The Sox will be without Travis Wood on Saturday. Wood is competing in the national Area Code Games through Tuesday, Aug. 10.
“Now we get to go relax for a couple of days then come back and strap it on on Saturday,” Harrison commented. “You know, Saturday’s going to be tough, especially if Kerwins wins it. They are very good and Travis won’t be here. We’ll have to come out and play some good hard baseball to win it. Of course, when we hit the ball . . . “
