Bryant Senior team wins five straight, turned back in title game in Illinois
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 continueposting 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).
ALTON, Ill. — In gut-wrenching fashion, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team reached the finals of a tournament for the second time in as many weeks only to be turned away. This time, the Sox reached the championship game of the Southwest Illinois Firecracker Classic, bases in Alton, Ill., with a 4-0 mark in pool play and a 3-0 win over the rival Texarkana Razorbacks in the semifinals of bracket play. But the team from Evansville, Ind., edged them out for the title, 3-2, on Sunday, July 5.
Just days before, the Sox had run the table to the finals of the Keith Hagan Memorial All-American Classic in Memphis before absorbing a 4-1 loss to the Ontario Blue Jays for the championship.
In the Firecracker Classic, the Sox opened with a 3-0 win over O’Fallon, Ill., and outlasted Festus, Mo., 7-6, on Friday, July 3. On Saturday, they dismissed defending Missouri State champion, Jefferson City, Mo., 10-8, then knocked off defending Illinois champion, Barrington, Ill., 9-0, to complete pool play.
The results of the tournament have Bryant at 22-5-2 overall as they head down the homestretch of the regular season. They were set to take on Little Rock at UALR on Tuesday, July 7, in Zone 4 action. On Wednesday, they host the Sheridan AA team before a twinbill at home against Zone 4 foe, Benton McClendon’s, on Thursday.
They’ll wrap up the regular season with a league twinbill at Texarkana on Monday, July 13, then host Cabot in a final tune-up on Tuesday, July 14. The Zone 4 Tournament will be held in Texarkana July 17-20.
Evansville, Ind., 3, Bryant 2
A two-out, two-run double by Evansville in the bottom of the sixth snapped a 1-1 tie. The Sox rallied for a run in the seventh but stranded the tying run at second.
Devin Dupree held Evansville to one run on four hits over the first five innings. The Indiana team scored on a single, a passed ball and a two-out hit to take 1-0 lead.
The Sox tied in the fifth when Seth Tucker was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a clutch two-out single by Brandan Warner.
In the sixth, a single, a stolen base and another hit had Evansville in position to snap the tie. Dupree induced a grounder to short as the runner at third held. But the next batter hit the two-run double. Trey Breeding relieved and got the final two outs to send it to the seventh.
Tucker led off with a single. Garrett Misenheimer drilled a double and the run scored on Connor Tatum’s grounder to first. Evansville retired the next two, however, to close out the win.
Bryant 3, Texarkana 0
Evan Lee fired a four-hit shutout, striking out six and hit one against the Sox’ Zone 4 rival. The game was scoreless through five innings. In the bottom of the sixth, Breeding was hit by a pitch and forced at second on a grounder to second by Jason Hastings. Logan Allen grounded into a force but, on an error, reached second. Tucker singled him home with the game’s first run. Misenheimer singled and, after a wild pitch moved runners to second and third, Tatum drilled a triple into the right-field corner to make it 3-0.
Lee allowed an infield hit in the first, pitched around the hit batsman in the second on his way to retiring 10 of 11 batters. A one-out single in the fourth was wiped out when Breeding through him out trying to steal. Another base hit was ineffective in the fifth. Breeding through out another base-runner in the sixth after a one-out hit.
Bryant 10, Jefferson City 8
Dylan Hurt pitched out of a jam in the fourth then Warner worked out of another in the bottom of the seventh as the Sox held on to beat the Missouri champs.
Warner and Blake Patterson each had three hits. Patterson and Lee drove in four runs each including a two-run homer from Lee. Breeding had two hits as well.
The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first when Warner singled and scored on a double by Patterson.
Tucker started the game and worked two scoreless innings. In the top of the third, the Sox added four runs to their lead, highlighted by Lee’s blast. Tatum led off the inning with a walk, With one out, Hurt singled and a wild pitch moved them up. Patterson drilled a two-run double to left center to set up Lee’s clout.
Jefferson City got on the board in the bottom of the inning with three runs but Tucker fanned a man to strand a runner in scoring postion.
Bryant answered with three more in the top of the fourth. With two down, Warner singled to left, Hurt walked and Patterson was hit by a pitch to fill the sacks. Lee came through again with a two-run single then Breeding doubled in a run.
Jefferson City’s response was a double, a walk and a single. Tucker gave way to Hurt who surrendered a sacrifice fly that made it 8-5 then set down the next two.
The Sox were quieted in the fifth and sixth but Hurt pitched around a pair of singles in the bottom of the fifth, picking off the lead runner at third. In the home sixth, a walk and a double produced a run for Jefferson City.
Tatum singled to open the top of the sixth and the Sox added some insurance that proved to be crucial. Warner singled then Hurt sacrificed. Patterson drove in both runs with a base hit.
A lead-off home run in the bottom of the seventh put the Missouri team on the comeback trail. A walk and a double followed. Warner relieved and the Sox got an out at the plate as Breeding hustled after a third-strike pitch in the dirt and tossed to Warner for the out.
With runners at first and third, a single made it 10-8 but Warner got the final out on a pop to Tatum.
Bryant 9, Barrington, Ill., 0
Blake Patterson twirled a two-hit shutout, fanning five with one walk. He surrendered a single with one out in the second but the runner was wiped out by a Bryant doubleplay. He worked around a one-out in the third and a lead-off single in the fifth, retiring 10 of the last 11 batters.
Patterson, Lee and Breeding each had two hits as the Sox took advantage of 10 walks.
Bryant took a 5-0 lead in the second when Breeding singled and stole second ahead of consecutive walks to Hastings, Allen, Tucker and Tatum. Warner singled in a run then another came in when Hurt grounded into a force at second. Patterson’s first hit produced the fifth run.
It stayed 5-0 until the fifth when Hurt walked and consecutive singles by Patterson and Lee filled the sacks. With one out, Hurt was forced at the plate on a grounder by Hastings but Allen and Tucker each walked to force in runs.
A two-run sixth began with a one-out single by Hurt. Patterson walked and Lee singled in a run. Breeding delivered an RBI single to make it 9-0.
Bryant 7, Festus, Mo. 6
The Sox rallied from a 6-3 deficit with four runs in the fifth then Dupree worked two shutout innings and Warner closed for the save, striking out the side in the seventh.
Patterson had three hits. Allen, Tucker and Tatum had two each in the win.
Hurt started the fifth-inning rally with a single but was thrown out trying to get to third on a base hit by Patterson. Lee and Breeding each singled and, with two down, Allen, Tucker and Tatum stroked singles to complete the rally.
Dupree, the third Bryant pitcher, was aided by a doubleplay after a one-out walk in the top of the fifth. He surrendered a pair of singles in the sixth but fanned two and left them at first and third.
Each team picked up a run in the first. For Bryant, it came on a walk to Hurt, a stolen base and a single by Patterson.
In the third, Festus scored four times with the help of a hit batsman, a walk and a two-out error. Bryant responded with a pair of tallies in the home half. Doubles by Warner and Patterson accounted for the first run. Lee walked and, with two down, Hastings came through with an RBI single.
Austin Kelly relieved Beaux Bonvillain in the fourth and walked three. A fielder’s choice allowed the run to score to make it 6-3.
Bryant 3, O’Fallon 0
Hastings fired a three-hit shutout at the O’Fallon Giants, striking out nine to help overcome three hit batsmen and two walks.
Patterson belted a solo homer to highlight the offense and ignite a three-run fourth.
Hastings battled to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the first then worked around a pair of errors in the second. He gave up a second hit, a single with one out in the third. He preserved the shutout despite a walk and a hit batsman in the fourth then a hit batsman and a single in the fifth. He closed it out around errors in each of the final two frames.
After Patterson’s blast, Lee singled to right. Breeding got a bunt down and beat it out for a hit. An error allowed the runners to move up to second and third then Hastings got a bunt down to plate Lee. Breeding scored when Allen grounded into a fielder’s choice in which Hastings was retired at third.
The Sox threatened in the second when Hastings and Allen each singled. Then again in the sixth when Lee and Breeding walked and Allen was hit by a pitch.
