Bryant rolls to 15U Legion State championship
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be 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).Photo courtesy of Lendsi Martin
CABOT — Behind Drew Hatman’s two-hit shutout, the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team used five timely hits to take advantage of eight walks, five errors and two hit batsmen to capture the 2019 15U Junior American Legion State championship with a 10-0 run-rule win over the Cabot Prep team on Monday night.
Even counting their impressive 10-9 comeback win over Maumelle in the semifinals, the Sox outscored their four foes in the State tourney (a new event at the 15U level), 51-10.
They are tentatively set to play a doubleheader against Ouachita High School on Thursday to wrap up the 15U season at a site to be determined.
Hatman allowed just two singles, walked no one and struck out one. He worked around a lone error and his teammates turned two doubleplays behind him.
Gavin Burton, who had a stellar tournament, led the offense with two of the team’s five hits including a triple. He drove in three of the runs. Logan White doubled, scored twice and knocked in a pair.
In the bottom of the first, Bryant took a 2-0 lead. A one-out walk to Kyler Pabon was the ignition. Cade Parker and Burton each walked to load the bases. A passed ball allowed Pabon to score. Moments later, another pitch got away and Parker came home as Colby Morrow was drawing a walk.
Cabot managed its first base-runner in the top of the second when a man reached on an error, but the runner was going on a fly to center that White flagged down. His throw got to Morrow at first before the runner could get back.
In the Bryant second, Hatman reached on an error then, with one out, White walked and Pabon was plunked by a 3-1 pitch to fill the sacks. Parker got courtesy runner Dylan Jones home when he grounded into a force at second. Burton then ripped his triple to right to score White and Parker, making it 5-0.
Hatman extended his no-hit bid through the third before it was broken up by a lead-off single in the fourth.
In the interim, the Sox added on. Caleb Greiner reached on a one-out error in the bottom of the third. He stole second then went to third on a wild pitch as Calvin Myles drew a walk. Myles made it to second then followed Greiner home when White cracked his double to left, making it 7-0.
Pabon was hit by a pitch then he and White worked a double steal. When the catcher’s throw to third got away, White scored. Pabon held at second on the play but swiped third moments later as Parker drew a free pass. Burton’s bloop single to left made it 9-0.
Along with the lead-off single in the fourth, Cabot managed a one-out hit to put runners at the corners. But the next batter hit a liner to Pabon at short. He fired to first in time to double-up the runner there.
The Sox made it a run-rule game in the bottom of the fourth. Jaxon Ham reached on an error and Greiner swatted a single to right. Hatman lofted one to center that fell in. Pinch-hitter Braxton Prather’s groundout got Ham in with the game-ending run.
The 15U Sox improved to 6-1 on the season with the victory.
