Bryant eases to opening win at Tennessee Legion tourney
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COLUMBIA, Tenn. — Tyler Brown and Hayden Daniel combined on a three-hit shutout over five[more] innings as the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team opened pool play at the 2012 Independence Day Classic at the Columbia, Tenn., Academy today with a 10-0 run-rule win over Mayfield, Ky.
The Sox, now 17-2 overall this season, are set to complete pool play with back-to-back games on Friday at Columbia Spring Hill High School at 4:15 against Columbiana, Ala., then at 6:30 p.m., against Shelbyville, Tenn.
Hunter Mayall led the team with three hits and three runs batted in. Jordan Taylor and Marcus Wilson each had two hits and Landon Pickett belted his team-high sixth home run of the game.
Brown and Daniel combined to walk seven but got errorless defense from their teammates.
The Sox took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Mayall singled on liner to right to start the game then, after Mayall stole second, Brown got down a bunt on a sacrifice attempt and beat it out for a hit. With Daniel in as a courtesy runner for the pitcher, a passed ball allowed him to take second, though Mayall had to hold at third. With one out, Pickett drew a walk to load the bases. With two down, Josh Pultro’s grounder to short was misplayed and both Mayall and Daniel scored.
Brown worked around a one-out single in the bottom of the inning and the Sox tacked on a run in the top of the second. Wilson doubled and took third on a sacrifice by Ozzie Hurt. He trotted home when Mayall ripped a double to center.
The first two in the bottom of the second were retired on grounders but a single and a walk had Mayfield threatening to score. But Brown picked off the runner at second to end the inning.
The Sox took control of the game with four runs in the third. Singles by Taylor, Tyler Nelson and Pultro produced a run and, after Hayden Lessenberry drew a walk to load the bases, a wild pitch allowed Nelson to score. Hurt walked to fill them again for Mayall, who shot his second double to center, driving in two.
Despite three walks that loaded the bases for Mayfield, Brown preserved the shutout when Hurt speared a liner to second for the third out.
Pickett made it 9-0 with his blast to left early in the fourth. It followed a lead-off walk to Taylor.
Daniel issued a pair of walks to start the bottom of the fourth but Nelson fielded a grounder at short, tagged second and fired to first for a doubleplay then the Bryant reliever ended the inning with a strikeout, stranding a runner at third.
The run-rule went into effect when Pickett picked up his third RBI. A walk to Mayall and singles by Daniel and Taylor filled the bases to set the table.
Mayfield made a bid to stay alive when the bottom of the fifth began with a single and a walk, Daniel made a nice play on a sacrifice bunt attempt to get an out at third. He followed up with a strikeout and when Wilson hauled in a fly to center, the game was over.
