NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Arkansas champion Bryant Black Sox will open play in the Senior American Legion[more] Mid-South Regional Tournament at Kirsch Rooney Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 9, in the very first game of the event.
The Sox, 33-5, will take on the Mississippi champion Hub City Bombers Post 24 of Hattiesburg at 9:30 a.m. The Bombers sport a 17-3 record on the season.
Other first-round games pitch Kansas champion Hays Post 173 (45-8) against Tennessee champion Columbia Post 19 of Columbia (32-15) at about 1 p.m.; Oklahoma champion Edmond Sandlot (26-14) versus Louisiana champion Otto Candles-St. Charles Post 131 of Hahnville (22-13) at 4:30; and host Crescent City Post 125 (32-4) against Missouri champion Washington Post 218 (39-8).
The Sox come into the tournament on a 10-game winning streak including a 6-5 win over two-time defending State champion Texarkana in the State finals. The team features four pitchers with five or more victories. Tyler Brown is 7-0, Jordan Taylor 5-0, Nate Rutherford 5-1 and Tryce Schalchlin 5-2. Tyler Nelson, a key starter for the team, is 3-1 with a 2.74 earned run average. The team ERA is 2.62.
At the plate, Bryant is led by Hunter Mayall (State tourney MVP), who has posted a scorching .531 batting average (76 of 143). He leads the team with 61 runs scored, 19 doubles and four triples. He has struck out just four times this season. His 17 steals are second to Nelson’s 19. He’s driven in 42, third on the team.
Jordan Taylor sports a sizzling .430 average (52 of 121) with 15 doubles, two homers, 44 RBI and a team-high 38 walks. Landon Pickett leads the team in RBI with 56 in 38 games. He’s hitting .317 and has a team-high 10 home runs.
Marcus Wilson, who won the hitting award at the State tourney, has lifted his average to .385 (35 of 91). Brown’s batting .374 and Hayden Lessenberry’s at .329.
As a team, the Sox are batting .345.
Hub City blasted the perennial power Pontatoc Red Sox 13-3 in the finals of the Mississippi State Tournament. Jon Mark Herrington who tossed a two-hit shutout over the Tupelo 49ers during the tournament was named the MVP. He’s going into his sophomore season at Jones County Junior College.
Tupelo is the defending World Series runner-up, losing to Eden Prairie, Minn., 5-4, in the finals last season.
Kirsch Rooney Stadium is the home of the Class AAA New Orleans Zephyrs minor league team.
SENIOR AMERICAN LEGION MID-SOUTH REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
Kirsch Rooney Stadium, New Orleans, La.
Thursday, Aug. 9
Game 1 — Bryant Black Sox (33-5) vs. Hattiesburg, Miss., Hub City Bombers (17-3), 9:30 a.m.
Game 2 — Hays, Kansas (45-8) vs. Columbia, Tenn. (32-15), 35 minutes after game 1
Game 3 — Edmond, Okla. Sandlot (26-14) vs. Hahnsville, La., Otto Candles-St. Charles (22-13), 4:30 p.m.
Game 4 — Washington, Mo. (39-8) vs. New Orleans, La., Crescent City (32-4), 35 minutes after game 3
Friday, Aug. 10
Game 5 — Game 1 loser vs. game 3 loser, 9:30 a.m.
Game 6 — Game 2 loser vs. game 4 loser, 35 minutes after game 5
Game 7 — Game 1 winner vs. game 3 winner, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8 — Game 2 winner vs. game 4 winner, 35 minutes after game 7
Saturday, Aug. 11
Game 9 — Game 6 winner vs. game 7 loser, 12 p.m.
Game 10 — Game 5 winner vs. game 8 loser, 4 p.m.
Game 11 — Game 7 winner vs. game 8 winner, 35 minutes after game 10
Sunday, Aug. 12
(Pairings for games 12 and 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless absolutely necessary.)
Game 12 — Game 9 winner vs. game 11 loser, 12:30 p.m.
Game 13 — Game 10 winner vs. game 11 winner, 4 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 13
(If three teams remain after Game 13, the winner of Game 11 automatically draws the bye for Game 14.)
Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. game 13 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 15 — TBD, 7 p.m.
