Bryant Everett hangs on for 9-8 win over Hickman-Norris
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OMAHA, Neb. — The Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant nearly saw an 8-1 lead disappear on Friday as the Hickman-Norris Titans, a team combining players from Hickman and Ferth high schools in Nebraska, pulled within 8-7 going into the bottom of the sixth.
The Sox managed an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth and it proved to be the difference as the Titans scored again in the top of the seventh. Bryant ended the game by completing an unusual doubleplay after Hickman-Norris had runners at second and third — the potential tying and lead runs — with one out.
The first two batters of the seventh were struck by pitches from Dylan Hurt, the third Sox pitcher of the game. A sacrifice moved the runners to second and third then a bloop single to center plated a run to make it 9-8. The trail runner stole second then a hot shot was hit to Jordan Gentry at third. He knocked it down and threw to the plate in time to nail the lead runner. A return throw to third caught the trail runner trying to advance, ending the game.
Logan Allen and Hunter Oglesby each had three hits for Everett. Gentry and Hurt added two each. Oglesby drove in three.
Hickman-Norris took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but the Sox countered with a six-run outburst in the bottom of the inning. Allen singled and stole second. Connor Tatum sacrificed him to third and, after Garrett Misenheimer walked, Hurt lashed a single to left to drive in the first run. Oglesby then chased home both runners with a triple.
After Gentry walked, Oglesby scored on an error. Gentry advanced to second and scored on a single by Cameron Coleman. And an errant pick-off throw allowed Coleman to come all the way around with the sixth run.
Oglesby, the Bryant starter on the mound, worked a 1-2-3 second then pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the third. Hickman-Norris went down in order in the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Sox made it 8-1. Allen singled, stole second and took third on an errant throw. He scored on a groundout by Misenheimer.
Hurt revved up a two-out rally with an infield hit. Daniel Darbonne came on as a courtesy runner and advanced to second when Oglesby’s pop on the infield dropped when no one could get to it. Aaron Orender served as the courtesy runner for the pitcher. Gentry’s singled plated Darbonne.
The Titans trimmed a run off the margin in the top of the fifth then put together a five-run sixth to pull within a run. Hurt came on in relief of Darbonne and induced a grounder to short to end the inning, forcing Hickman-Norris to strand the potential tying run at second.
In Bryant’s sixth, Misenheimer drove a double to right. Hurt bunted pinch-runner Orender to third and Oglesby shot an RBI single to center to make it 9-7.
The Sox improved to 10-4 overall and 3-1 in the tournament with the victory. They’re set to play Eureka, Mo., on Saturday afternoon.
