March 7 in Bryant athletic history: 2014

Bryant notches first two diamond wins in Texas

EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).

WACO, Texas — Drew Tipton drove in three runs in the first game and Trey Breeding knocked in three in the second in support of solid starting pitching from Blaine Knight and Zack Jackson as the Bryant Hornets won the first two games of a tournament at Midway High School Thursday.

Bryant gradually built an 8-2 lead on the way to an 8-4 win over the A&M Consolidated Tigers of College Station, Texas in the afternoon. That evening, they used two big innings to subdue the host Midway Panthers, 7-4.

The Hornets are scheduled to play Tyler Lee today at 11:30 a.m. then Waxahachie, Texas, Warriors at 2 p.m.

In Thursday’s opener, Korey Thompson and Trevor Ezell also had two hits. Thompson scored a run and drove one home while Ezell scored three times and picked up an RBI. Each had a double.

Knight scattered four hits, allowed two unearned runs, walked one and struck out five over the first five innings. Harrison Dale closed it out and, over two innings, surrendered two hits, two unearned runs and fanned four without a walk.

In the nightcap, the bottom of the Hornets’ order did damage including Breeding with his two hits and three ribbies. Chase Tucker and Dalton Holt each had two hits. Both of Holt’s were doubles. Tipton knocked in a pair of with a two-bagger and walked three times.

Jackson struck out seven and scattered eight hits over four frames. He surrendered three runs and walked three. He picked up the win when the Hornets snapped a 3-3 tie with four runs in the fifth. Dupree nailed it down allowing a run on three hits with a walk and a strikeout over two innings.

Bryant took a 2-0 lead in the home first against A&M. Ezell led off with an infield hit and stole second. He took third on a groundout by Brandan Warner and, after Tucker drew a two-out walk, Tipton lashed a triple to center to chase in both runs.

AMC tied it in the top of the second, taking advantage of an error and a bloop single with a pair of RBI groundouts.

In the home second, Jason Hastings grounder to second was booted. Dylan Hurt got down a sacrifice bunt. A passed ball allowed Hastings to take third and he scored when Ezell lashed a double to right. Breeding reached on a third-strike wild pitch as Ezell scampered home to make it 4-2.

Knight worked around a one-out single and a walk in the top of the third and, in turn, his teammates tacked a run onto the lead. Tucker slapped a single to right, stole second and scored on a base hit by Tipton.

The Tigers went down in order in the top of the fourth and the Hornets continued to add on in the home half. Thompson lined a single to left, stole second and, after Ezell walked, Breeding beat out a bunt for a hit to load the bases. Tucker delivered a run with a sacrifice fly then Ezell scored on a passed ball to make it 7-2.

Knight eased through another inning on a flyout, a strikeout and a groundout. In Bryant’s fifth, Hurt drew a two-out walk and courtesy runner Justin Emmerling scored from first when Thompson lined a double to the gap, making it 8-2.

Dale came on and continued a streak in which the Hornets set down 11 in row when he struck out the side in the top of the sixth. AMC scratched out two runs on two hits and an error in the top of the seventh before he closed it out.

In the second game, it was scoreless until the top of the third when Bryant pushed three runs home, two on Breeding’s two-out single to center. Ezell opened the frame with a walk and Tipton doubled him home with a shot to left. Blake Patterson was hit by a pitch and when Tucker singled, the bags were packed. But they remained that was as the next two batters were retired, bringing up Breeding who blooped a 1-0 pitch into center to make it 3-0.

But Midway answered with three in the bottom of the inning. The Panthers strung together five hits including a two-out, two-run single.

Neither team mustered much in the fourth but, in the fifth, the Hornets snapped the tie. Tucker led off with a liner to center for a single. After he swiped second, he made it to third on a sacrifice by Evan Lee. Holt drew a walk then Breeding brought him home with a sacrifice fly to right.

Walks to Dale and Thompson loaded the bases for Ezell, who waited out a free pass for an RBI. Walks to Tipton and Patterson produced the runs that made it 7-3.

Dupree worked around a two-out single in the fifth. In the sixth and final frame, a one-out walk and a pair of two-out singles produced one last run for the Waco team before Dupree induced a grounder to Dale at third to end the game.