Black Sox rally for 7-5 win in Classic opener in Tennessee
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).
COLUMBIA, Tenn. — The Bryant Black Sox and the Brentwood, Tenn. Bulldogs took turns making comebacks Thursday in their opening contest in pool play of the Independence Day Classic.
And the Sox got the proverbial last laugh with a four-run home sixth that turned a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 victory.
Ben Wells, the third Bryant pitcher, whipped through a 1-2-3 seventh including a pair of strikeouts at the end to earn a save. Blake Davidson, who came in to put out the fire in a three-run sixth, got the win in relief of starter Jordan Taylor.
Brentwood had managed just two runs on four hits against Taylor over the first five innings. In fact, the right-hander had opened the game by setting down the first eight batters in succession.
But the Bulldogs’ three-run sixth had them on top before Bryant came to bat in the bottom of the inning.
The Sox’ rally began with a single by Evan Jobe that brought up the top of the lineup. With one out, Caleb Garrett pulled a shot into left field for a double, setting the table for Hunter Mayall’s game-tying triple into the left-field corner. Taylor then put the Sox ahead with an RBI single. He stole second and, with two down, Lucas Castleberry drove a single up the middle to chase home an insurance run.[more]
But Wells needed just 10 pitches to set down the Bulldogs in the seventh to close out the win.
Bryant is scheduled to play twice on Friday, facing a team from Cincinnati early and the host team, Columbia.
Against Brentwood, the Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second while Taylor was mowing down the Bulldogs. And the bottom of the order got it done. Castleberry, in the six-hole, got it started with one out. He was hit by a pitch. After he stole second, Dylan Cross yanked a double down the left-field line to chase him home. A wild pitch allowed Cross to take third and when Tyler Brown rolled one up the first-base line, an errant throw allowed Cross to score, making it 2-0.
Brown reached on the play then Ozzie Hurt drew a walk but they were stranded when Brentwood pitcher Tyler Richardson got a strikeout and popup.
Brentwood finally broke through against Taylor in the top of the third on a two-out single from No. 9 hitter Nick Dorengh. He scored on a double by lead-off man Eric Tallent to make it 2-1.
Bryant got the run back in the bottom of the inning, however, when Mayall drew a walk, raced to third on a single by Taylor and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brennan Bullock.
Two-out walks were issued to Cross and Brown but Richardson escaped further damage with a strikeout.
Brentwood answered with another run in the top of the fourth. Steven Emery singled and, with one out, was forced at second on a grounder to Castleberry at short off the bat of Joe Teal. A passed ball allowed Teal to take second but Taylor was a strike away from getting out of the inning when Kyle Cheek cracked a 3-2 delivery to deep center for an RBI double.
Taylor ended it there though by getting Parker Hazaid to pop out to Mayall at first.
Bryant’s 3-2 edge held until the sixth. Richardson worked around a one-out error in the fourth and a two-out walk to Cross in the fifth. Taylor picked up his fourth and fifth strikeouts to start the fifth then retired Tallent on a bouncer to Chris Joiner at second.
In the Brentwood sixth, however, singles by Jacob Ramsey and Emery had the Bulldogs in position to tie or take the lead. They managed the latter. After a sacrifice put runners at second and third, an intentional walk loaded the bases. A pair of errors had two runs in then a wild pitch allowed a third as Brentwood took its 5-3 lead on unearned runs.
Davidson struck out Gooch Greer to end the inning, setting the stage for Bryant’s answering comeback sparked by Jobe.
