Bryant Senior Legion team dismisses Harrison in Twin Lakes opener
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MOUNTAIN HOME — Make the pitchers work.
That’s what Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion coaches Craig and Tic Harrison want from their players when they come to the plate. If the game goes deep, a starter can wear down and you might get to them before they’re pulled and, if not, you get a shot at the bullpen.
And sometimes, the starter can get himself in trouble with turning those long counts into free passes.
The latter was the case on Wednesday, when the Sox opened pool play at the 23rd annual Brooks Robinson Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home against Harrison. Taking advantage of eight walks with eight hits including a game-breaking three-run homer by Justin Blankenship, the Sox eased to a 12-4 victory in five innings.
Ben Wells picked up the win, giving up all four runs on nine hits but walking just one and striking out 11.
The Sox improved to 10-2 on the season going into Thursday’s second pool play game against Miller, Mo., at 11 a.m.[more]
“It was a good first game of the tournament for us,” Craig Harrison stated. “We took advantage of some mental miscues on their part — the walks were mostly to the bottom of our order — and JB made them pay. Wells had 11 K’s out of 15 outs but also gave up nine hits so the game, from a pitching standpoint, was a little puzzling. But, to his credit, he made the big pitch when he needed it.
“Our bottom of the order did a good job of battling counts to give us some runners in front of our top hitters,” added Harrison, “and that’s the way we have to play.”
The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Blankenship and Caleb Garrett drew the first of those eight walks. Tyler Sawyer followed with a shot to deep short that was backhanded, robbing him of a hit as the throw to first just beat him. But Blankenship and Garrett moved up on the plate and Kaleb Jobe’s sacrifice fly plated the run.
Wells, after fanning two in a 1-2-3 first, surrendered a lead-off single to start the second. A stolen base and another hit tied the game at 1. A two-strike bunt attempt sent foul for the first out of the inning. Wells fanned the next batter too but the pitch was in the dirt and the batter made it to first as the lead runner moved to third. On a safety squeeze, Wells fielded the ball, checked the runner at third and threw to first for the second out. A strikeout ended the threat.
Free passes played a role again the second for the Sox. This time, Austin Queck led off with a walk and, after the next two were retired, Austin Benning drew another to set the table for Blankenship’s blast to center to make it 4-1.
Garrett doubled and scored on a single by Sawyer to continue the onslaught. Jobe chased Sawyer to third with a base hit and, on an 0-2 count on Brady Butler, Jobe left first early and stayed in the rundown between first and second long enough for Sawyer to score to make it 6-1.
A trio of singles around a pair of strikeouts produced a second run for Harrison in the top of the third. A walk loaded the bags but Wells escaped with yet another strikeout.
The Sox blew the game up with a two-out uprising in the home fourth. Garrett and Sawyer cracked singles and Jobe was intentionally walked to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Garrett to score and, after Butler walked to load the sacks again, walks to Trent Daniel and Queck forced in runs. Jonathan Wade delivered a two-run single and when Queck scored on a wild pitch, it was 12-2.
Wells retired the first batter of the fifth but then surrendered a pair of singles. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third, and they scored from there on a base hit. But Wells fanned the next two to keep the eight-after-five run rule in effect, ending the game.
