SHERIDAN — After a rugged weekend at the Central Arkansas Classic, the Bryant Black Sox 15U Junior American Legion team romped over the Sheridan 15’s on Tuesday night, sweeping a doubleheader 20-0 and 11-3.
The wins improved the Sox to 4-3 on the season going into a trip to the Chad Wolffe Classic in Fayetteville.
Bryant 20, Sheridan 0
Carson Kemp, Luke Bickerstaff and Tucker Dunn combined on a three-hit shutout with Kemp picking up the win.
Offensively, the Sox took advantage of a whopping 16 walks with 10 hits including two each by Grant Dunbar, Hunter Holt and Aden Palmer. With a double and a triple, Palmer drove in six runs. Holt knocked in three.
Bryant scored in all five innings including seven times in the top of the second. The Sox scored five in the first.
Dunbar led off with a single then Clay Crawford reached on a dropped fly in the outfield. Dunbar scored.
Gavin Burton walk and, after Holt was hit by a pitch, Palmer cleared the bases with a triple. Kemp was struck by a 3-2 pitch then Gage Horn singled to make it 5-0.
After the Sox turned a doubleplay to erase the first Sheridan hit in the bottom of the first, then the Sox’ second-inning uprising commenced.
Mason Butler led off with a walk. Dunbar grounded into a force then walks were issued to Crawford and Burton to load the bases. Holt delivered an RBI single then Palmer cracked a double to clear the bags.
The onslaught resumed as Horn walked. Reid Catton was hit by a pitch to force in a run then Brady Brower walked to make it 11-0. Butler walked again to finish off the inning as Horn was forced home.
Walks to Burton, Lakin Woods, Dunn and Horn along with Holt getting hit by a pitch produced two runs in the bottom of the second. Woods scored when Bickerstaff grounded into a force at second, making it 15-0.
Butler led off the third and his grounder was booted at third. With one out, Crawford ripped an RBI double. Matt Griffe walked, and Holt doubled to make it 18-0. Woods singled to right then Dunn came through with a sacrifice fly.
The 20th run scored in the top of the fifth when, with two down, Butler belted a triple and scored on a single by Dunbar.
Bryant 11, Sheridan 3
Again, free passed helped the Sox dominate. Sheridan pitchers issued 10 free passes and hit three batters in the three-inning contest.
Bryant had four hits, singles by Butler, Crawford, Kemp and Dunn.
A seven-run first had the Sox on their way to victory. They added four in the second before Sheridan got on the board in the bottom of the inning.
The first-inning uprising began with a one-out walk to Butler. Holt was struck by a 1-0 pitch then, a wild pitch moved them up to second and third as Palmer walked. Kemp then came through with a two-run single to center.
After a walk to Griffe, Bickerstaff worked a free pass that pushed home Palmer. With two down, Brower was hit by a pitch then so was Luis Hernandez. That set up Dunn’s two-run single to cap the outburst.
Butler ignited the second inning uprising as well, with a single to right. Holt walked and, with one out, Kemp drew a free pass to fill the sacks. The walk-fest continued with an RBI pass to Griffe to make it 8-0.
Bickerstaff followed with a fly to center that was misplayed allowing Holt to score. Catton’s walk forced in Kemp and Brower’s pass brought in Dylan Jones to make it 11-0.
Three singles, a walk and an error accounted for Sheridan’s two-runs in the bottom of the second. A hit batsman, a wild pitch and a single got the third run in before Crawford, on in relief of Dunbar, got the final two outs on strikes.
