Black Sox rally past rival Razorbacks, advance to Zone tourney title round
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).
Clutch, run-scoring hits by Blake Patterson and Chase Tucker keyed a three-run seventh that gave the Bryant Black Sox their first lead over the Red River Federal Credit Union Razorbacks of Texarkana Sunday night on the way to a hard-earned 6-4 win.
Bryant, now 36-4, advances to the finals of the Zone 4 Senior American Legion tournament. The Sox are set to play tonight at 7 against the winner of the Texarkana-Little Rock losers’ bracket final at 4. Already qualified for State as the host team, Bryant will try to earn the top seed with a win while Texarkana and Little Rock battle for the second State bid from Zone 4.
Texarkana is the defending State champion.
Little Rock advanced by rallying past Benton McClendon’s TV and Appliance, 13-8, on Sunday. The Vipers trailed 7-3 going into the top of the seventh but erupted for six runs in that inning to gain the upper hand. Micah Shepard, the third Little Rock pitcher, picked up the win with five solid innings of work, allowing one unearned run and three hits to close out the victory.
In the nightcap, Texarkana took a 2-0 lead in the second off Sox starter Blake Patterson. With a run in the fifth and another in the sixth, Bryant tied it as Patterson found his stride. The Razorbacks regained the edge, 3-2, with a run in the bottom of the sixth but Bryant’s uprising in the seventh turned the tide. Nate Rutherford pitched the last two innings to earn the save, allowing one unearned run and one hit.
It was the fourth meeting between the rivals who are usually the cream of the crop in Zone 4 and among them in the state.
In Bryant’s lone loss to Texarkana this season, on June 25, right-hander Zac Harrington picked up the win in a 5-1 final. Harrington got the nod to start Sunday’s game and was tough early. He didn’t allow a hit until Tucker beat out an infield safety with two out in the fourth.
After that, the Black Sox started nicking Harrington who threw 106 pitches through six innings then went back out for the game-turning seventh.
Texarkana’s two-run second began with singles by Hudson Hopkins and Landon Russo. Hayden Phillips beat out an infield hit to load the bases then a run scored when Patterson got Nick Myers to bounced into a doubleplay. Russo scored moments later on a wild pitch before Patterson could get Nathan Stubber to fly out to Tucker in deep center.
Patterson worked out of a jam in the third. Blake Hall doubled, took third on a wild pitch and, with two down, Jackson Murphy drew a walk. With Murphy breaking off first on a 1-0 count, Hopkins, the batter, interfered with the attempt by Bryant catcher Trey Breeding’s chance to make a throw. That was the third out of the inning.
Bryant’s initial run was scored by Brandan Warner who led off the fifth inning with a single. He hustled to second when Hopkins didn’t handle the ball cleanly in center. Breeding was hit by a pitch then Korey Thompson sacrificed them to second and third. After Trevor Ezell walked to load the bases, Warner scored on Drew Tipton’s tap to third.
The Sox turned a nifty doubleplay in the bottom of the fifth and, at the plate, they tied the game. With one out, Tucker walked. Dalton Holt singled to center then both moved up on a wild pitch. Warner beat out an infield hit to pick up the RBI but the Sox didn’t get any more as Harrington wriggled off the hook.
The Hogs regained the edge in the bottom of the inning. Murphy singled, took second on a grounder to short by Hopkins then scored on Russo’s two-out single.
Ezell singled up the middle to start the Bryant seventh. He swiped second and, after Hopkins robbed Drew Tipton of a hit, Patterson bounced a single up the middle, tying the game back up.
With two down, Tucker smacked a shot to the fence in the left-centerfield gap. Patterson sprinted home and Tucker flew into third with a triple. And when the relay to third was errant, he scored as well, making it 5-3.
Patterson finished well, working around a two-out single by Dylan Silvey. In the top of the eighth, Silvey, a side-winding right-hander, set the Sox down in order.
In the home half, Rutherford took the hill for Bryant but Jake Alexander reached on a third-strike wild pitch. With one out, Patterson and Rutherford both turned in a sparkling play. Patterson, at first, ranged far to his right to snag a grounder. Rutherford got over to cover the bag and took the throw from Patterson in time to retire Hopkins for the second out of the inning.
The Sox appeared to be out of it when Rutherford induced a grounder to short only to have it get mishandled allowing Alexander to score. It was only then the Razorbacks got a hit in the inning. Hayden Phillps laced a single to left to sent Russo to third but Nick Myers grounded to Warner at third to end the inning.
Bryant got the run back in the top of the ninth. Ezell shot a single to right, stole second, took third on a balk and, after Tipton walked and stole second, a free pass was issued to Patterson to load the bases.
Patrick Flanigin relieved Silvey, the second Hogs’ hurler, and nearly got out of the jam unscathed but, with one out, Tucker hit a chopper up the middle that resulted in a force out at second as Ezell came in to make it 6-4.
Rutherford set down Texarkana in order in the bottom of the ninth to close out the win.
BRYANT 6, TEXARKANA RED RIVER FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 4
Black Sox ab r h bi Razorbacks ab r h bi
Ezell, ss 3 2 2 0 Silvey, lf-p 5 0 1 0
Tipton, lf 4 0 0 1 Hall, ss 5 0 1 0
Patterson, p-1b 4 1 1 1 Alexander, rf 4 1 0 0
Lessenberry, 1b-c 5 0 0 0 Murphy, 1b 3 1 1 0
Tucker, cf 4 2 2 2 Hopkins, cf 4 1 1 0
Holt, rf 5 0 1 0 Russo, c 4 1 2 1
Warner, 3b 4 1 2 1 H.Phillips, dh-lf 4 0 2 0
Breeding, c 3 0 0 0 Flanigin, p 0 0 0 0
Rutherford, p 0 0 0 0 Myers, 2b 4 0 0 0
Thompson, 2b 3 0 0 0 Stubber, 3b 4 0 1 0
Harrington, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 35 6 8 5 Totals 37 4 9 1
Bryant 000 011 301 — 6
Texarkana 020 001 010 — 4
E—Warner, Hall 2, Hopkins, Ezell. DP—Bryant 2. LOB—Bryant 9, Texarkana 7. 2B—Hall. 3B—Tucker. SB—Thompson, Tucker, Warner, Ezell 2, Tipton. S—Thompson.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Bryant
Patterson (W) 7 3 3 8 1 2
Rutherford (S) 2 1 0 1 0 2
Texarkana
Harrington (L) 7 5 4 7 3 7
Silvey 1 1 1 1 2 0
Flanigin 1 0 0 0 0 0
Silvey faced three batters in the ninth.
Balk—Silvey. HBP—Breeding (by Harrington). WP—Patterson 2, Harrington, Rutherford. Attendance–139. Umpires—Randy Clayton (plate), Brad Clark (infield).
