CONWAY — Hunter Holt belted three doubles and Jordan Knox had three hits as the Bryant Black Sox 15U Junior American Legion team won a second game at the Central Arkansas Showcase on Thursday, running away from Arkansas Select 2023 of Greenwood, 12-2, at Don Owen Sports Complex.
Earlier in the day, the Sox had defeated Sticks Baseball 15U, 8-4. The Sox are scheduled to play again on Friday to wrap up pool play.
Luke Bickerstaff held Select to two runs, one earned on three hits as he pitched into the seventh. He walked two and struck out 10. Tucker Dunn relieved as Bickerstaff’s pitch count reached 90 and got the final out on strikes.
After Bickerstaff struck out two in the top of the first, the Sox struck for two runs. Knox led off with an infield hit and, with one out, Holt beat out a bunt single. With two down, Knox scored on a wild pitch then Holt followed on Carson Kemp’s single to center.
Bickerstaff worked a 1-2-3 second then the Sox went back to work on offense. Brady Brower led off with a single, took second on a passed ball and held as Dunn was struck by a pitch. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third for Knox, who singled to drive in Brower. On the throw to the plate, Knox took second, setting it up for Clay Crawford’s two-run single.
And Bryant wasn’t finished in the inning. Holt was hit by a pitch and Aden Palmer beat out an infield hit to load the bases. With two down, Gage Horn walked to force in a run, making it 6-0.
Select got its two runs in the top of the third. An error on an infield grounder ended Bickerstaff’s streak of seven set down in a row. C Castagno and J Weller cracked consecutive doubles to make it 6-2. But Bickerstaff retired the next two, fanning J Stanfill to end the uprising.
Brower walked to start the bottom of the third. He took second on Dunn’s grounder to first then third on a wild pitch. With Matt Griffe at the plate, the Sox executed a squeeze play to get Brown in.
After Select was retired in order in the top of the fourth, Crawford led off the bottom of the inning with a walk. Holt drilled a double to set the table for Palmer and Kemp who each singled in a run to push the lead to 9-2.
A second run of seven set down in order by Bickerstaff ended with a two-out single by E Thorne in the top of the fifth but a strikeout of Castagno sent it to the bottom of the fifth.
Dunn reached second on a throwing error, took third on Lakin Woods’ grounder to first but held as Knox reached on a dropped flyball in center. Crawford, however, delivered an RBI single that made it 10-2.
Holt drilled another double then Palmer walked to load the bases but Select avoided further damage as Kemp flew to center.
An error and a walk put the first two batters on base in the top of the sixth but a grounder to Holt at third resulted in a force there. The lead runner was picked off by Bickerstaff then a fly to center ended the threat.
Bickerstaff led off the bottom of the sixth, reaching on an error. He advanced to second on a groundout by Reid Catton and took third on a grounder to the right side by Brower. Dunn walked and Woods was struck by a pitch to load the bases for Knox, who beat out an infield hit for an RBI.
The Sox made it a run-rule win in the bottom of the seventh when Holt doubled, Palmer3 reached on an error and a wild pitch allowed Holt to score the game-ending run.
