Bryant Junior team to play for Zone tourney crown
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SHERIDAN — The Bryant Everett Buick GMC Black Sox will take on Texarkana tonight at Oliver Williams Field for the championship of the Zone 4 Tournament after surviving two elimination games on Monday.
The Sox drilled Hot Springs, 10-0, to earn a bid to the Junior State Tournament, which begins this weekend back at Sheridan. They then knocked off Sheridan, 12-2, to avenge their lone loss of the tournament and earn the chance at Texarkana in the title round. The Sox will need to beat Texarkana twice to earn the title.
Bryant 10, Hot Springs 0
Aaron Orender tossed a three-hit shutout and the Sox scored eight times in the third inning to ease past the Trojans, earning a bid to State. Orender walked no one and struck out four. He surrendered a one-out single in the first but a bouncer to Scott Schmidt at second resulted in a double play to end the inning. In the second, a one-out double and a passed ball allowed a runner to get to third but he was stranded as Orender induced a pop to Schmidt then closed out the inning with a strikeout. He worked around a two-out error in the fourth and a lead-off single in the fifth.
Schmidt singled to start the game-breaking third. Jeffrey Hastings walked and a passed ball moved them up to second and third. Orender walked to load the bases then Garrett Misenheimer drew a walk to force in a run. Hastings scored on a wild pitch then, with one out, Austin Kelly hit a drive to left that was misplayed, scoring Orender. Beaux Bonvillain, running for Misenheimer reached third. Kelly stole second before Christian Harp walked to load the bases again.
A single by Matthew Sandidge and a double by Brandon Hoover continued the scoring before a two-out error on Hastings’ fly to left made it 8-0.
In the fourth, Misenheimer singled and took second when the ball was misplayed in right. He scored when Kelly’s grounder to second resulted in a wild throw to first.
The Sox made it a run-rule lead in the top of the fifth. Ethan Thompson walked, Hastings sacrificed him to second and Orender drilled a single to left to bring him home.
Bryant 12, Sheridan 2
Avenging a 5-4 loss in the second round of the tournament, the Sox put together big innings in the second and fourth to run-rule the Yellowjackets.
Boston Heil went the distance on the mound. He allowed two runs on three hits, walking three and striking out three.
The Sox scored seven times in the second to break open a scoreless duel. A one-out walk to Harp got things started. Sandidge singled. Hoover hit a bouncer to short but the throw to second in an attempt to force Sandidge resulted in an error. Harp scored and runners wound up at second and third. Schmidt singled in a run then so did Hastings. Orender walked and a passed ball allowed Hastings to score. Cameron Coleman cracked a single to center and when it was misplayed, both Orender and Misenheimer wound up scoring to make it 7-0.
Heil had worked around an error in the first and a two-out double in the second. With one out in the third, Austyn Wright singled and Nathan Kirkpatrick drew a walk for the Jackets. Montana Korte sacrificed them to second and third then Hunter Hicks drilled a double to make it 7-2.
In the fourth, a two-out error and a walk produced a Sheridan threat but Heil got Wright to bounce out to Misenheimer at third to end the inning. He would work a 1-2-3 fifth after the Sox erupted for five in the home fourth.
That uprising began with a double to right by Coleman. Kelly reached on an error as Coleman scored and Thompson, the courtesy runner, swiped third. Harp walked and Sandidge cracked an RBI single. He stole second and Harp scored on a passed ball as Hoover walked. Schmidt picked up an RBI with a groundout then so did Hastings to make it a 10-run lead.
