FORT SMITH — The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team continued to knock off the rust of not playing for three months on Sunday but, in the process, lost two more games at the 2020 Katzer Round Robin at Hunts Park.
After scoring five runs on Saturday in losses to Fort Smith and Three Rivers, the Sox scored six on Sunday. A grand slam homer by the Texarkana Razorbacks spoiled Bryant’s 1-0 lead in the opening game, which ended 4-1. In the nightcap, the Sox built a 5-0 lead only to have Bartlesville, Okla., rally, tying it in the bottom of the seventh then winning with a run in the bottom of the eighth.
Weather permitting, the Senior Sox are scheduled to play at Lake Hamilton on Tuesday and two games at Russellville on Wednesday.
The Sox continued to work in several arms in each game. Three threw in the game against Texarkana, four more against Bartlesville. The starters threw well. Slade Renfrow walked three and struck out eight in 4 1/3 innings against the Razorbacks. He surrendered one run on two hits. Blaine Sears tossed five shutout innings, limiting Bartlesville to two hits, walking no one and fanning five.
Bartlesville 6, Bryant 5
The Sox looked like they were on their way to their first victory Sunday afternoon as they scored three runs in the first, one in the second and one in the fourth while holding Bartlesville scoreless through five innings.
A four-run sixth made it a much different game, sparking the rally by the Oklahoma team.
Bryant had just five hits but took advantage of seven walks issued by the first two of four Bartlesville hurlers.
Logan Catton had two hits including a double. Gage Stark, Noah Davis and Ryan Riggs each had a knock.
Bartlesville wound up walking it off with a two-out uprising in the bottom of the eighth after the Sox got within a strike of ending the inning. A two-out double opened the door. The next batter was hit by a pitch with 2-2 count. The game-winning single followed on the very next pitch.
A hit batsman started Bryant’s three-run first. Davis absorbed the blow and Riggs followed with a single. With one out, Catton delivered an RBI double to left. Stark reached first when, on his grounder to third, the fielder held Riggs at third.
Brayden Lester’s sacrifice fly made it 2-0 and, after Aaron Morgan drew a walk, Dakota Clay waited out a free pass to force in the third run.
Sears worked around a two-out error in the bottom of the first. He then started a string of eight in a row he set down before a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth that came to nothing.
The Sox added a run in the second. Davis reached on an error, taking second on the wild throw. After advancing to third on Riggs’ grounder to first, he scored when Catton’s pop fell in for a single.
Clay walked again to start the Bryant fourth, advancing to second on a groundout by Coby Greiner. Davis looped a single to left for the RBI.
Bryant was held hitless the rest of the game. The lone baserunners came on walks. Stark in the fifth, Clay in the sixth then Catton and Ethan Andrews in the seventh.
Bartlesville’s sixth-inning outburst started with a one-out bloop to left for a hit. A walk and a double made it 5-1. A wild pitch allowed a second run to score before a single loaded the bases. An error allowed the fourth run to score before Tyler Bates got the final out on strikes.
A walk, a sacrifice and a single produced the tying run in the bottom of the seventh.
Texarkana 4, Bryant 1
Texarkana used six pitchers to limit the Sox to one run on five hits. But they hit three batters and walked seven more.
One bad inning for Bryant made the difference. In the top of the fifth, a one-out walk and a pair of singles set the stage for the grand slam.
Texarkana managed just one hit the rest of the game.
The Sox, meanwhile, loaded the bases in both the sixth and the seventh innings but could not muster a clutch hit.
Bryant took the lead in the bottom of the second when Riggs walked, Stark singled and Lawson Speer reached on a free pass. Riggs scored when Greiner grounded into a doubleplay.
The Sox had runners aboard in each inning except the fifth.
In the first, Cade Drennan walked and Peyton Dillon singled. In the third, Catton was hit by a pitch to start the inning but was stranded.
The Sox loaded the bases in the fourth. Stark was struck with a pitch then walks were issued to Speer and Greiner. A strikeout and a fly to center followed to end the inning.
In the sixth, Speer singled with two out and Greiner followed with a knock on a liner to center. Davis popped a single to left to load the bases but, after a pitch change, the Razorbacks escaped.
Drennan walked to open the seventh. With one out, J.T. Parker was hit by a pitch and Riggs drew a free pass to fill the sacks. But a fly to shallow right and an infield pop ended the game.
