For more photos of this event by Kevin Nagle, go here
Will McEntire delivers a pitch. (Photo by Kevin Nagle
There are three tremendous left-handed pitchers in the 7A-Central Conference, Evan Hiatt of Little Rock Catholic, Conway’s Jordan Wicks and Cabot’s Zach Morris. And it’s a testament to the Bryant program that the Hornets have faced all three in their conference games this season and they’ve accounted for all four of the Hornets’ league losses.
Morris shutout the Hornets 1-0 at Cabot on April 2 then Wicks blanked the Hornets 2-0 on April 10. Bryant scratched out two unearned runs against Hiatt but wound up losing 3-2 on April 17.
And, on Friday night, the Panthers and Morris, an Arkansas Razorback commit, tossed a one-hit shutout in an 8-0 win that lifted Cabot, the defending State champion, into sole possession of second place, in line to grab a first-round bye at the Class 7A Tournament in North Little Rock starting May 10.
It’s not that the Hornets can’t hit lefties. Earlier in the year, they beat a top-notch lefty, Kaleb Hill of Watson Chapel, 5-0.
Logan Catton hauls in a foul pop. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Friday’s game was Bryant’s worst loss of the season. The previous most lopsided setback had been that 2-0 defeat at Conway.
Morris, who struck out nine and walked three on 105 pitches, had a no-hitter going until Hornet senior Brandon Hoover led off the bottom of the sixth with a solid single to left.
At that point, the lefty had faced the minimum. The only other Bryant base-runner had been Logan Catton, who walked with one out in the third but was erased in a doubleplay.
After Hoover’s single, Myers Buck drew a one-out walk and the Hornets had two aboard for the only time in the game. Though they already trailed 8-0, there was hope with the top of the batting order due up. But Morris retired the side to send it to the seventh.
A two-out walk to Jake Wright in the seventh was the Hornets’ fourth base-runner. He was stranded.
Cabot banged out 13 hits but led just 2-0 going into the sixth. In the first, lead-off man Clayton Gray walked. Bryant right-hander Will McEntire retired the next two, but it took 13 pitches to get the second out as Brodey Schluter battled him before grounding out to Catton at third.
Morris came up and cracked a single off the foot of McEntire then Rail Gilliam’s base hit drove in the run.
Second baseman Scott Schmidt comes down with a throw with a tag that caught the base-stealer. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
In the second, Kyler Francis blooped a single to right but, on a 3-2 pitch, McEntire struck out Dillon Thomas. Francis was on the move and Wright, the Hornets’ catcher, threw him out at second on a nice catch and tag by second sacker Scott Schmidt.
Zach Slunder singled but McEntire picked him off first to end the inning.
In the third, Houston King walked with one out but McEntire retired the next two on popouts. He then retired the side in order in the fourth.
Hornets head coach Travis Queck hands the ball to reliever Peyton Dillon. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
In the fifth, Hornets head coach Travis Queck went to the side-winding Coby Greiner, a super-reliever of late. Over his last seven relief appearances constituting 17 2/3 innings, he had only allowed one run on five hits.
Thomas greeted him with a single to right and Slunder sacrificed him to second. Greiner got Gray to fly out to K.J. Merriweather in left but, on his next pitch, King sliced a looping liner to right that fell in for an RBI double to make it 2-0.
The sixth started out innocently enough. Morris beat out an infield hit that shortstop Austin Ledbetter did well to get to. But his late throw to first was errant and the Panthers’ pitcher wound up at second. Courtesy runner Kyler Carmack was sacrificed to third by Gilliam and, with the infield in, Jackson Olivi singled up the middle to make it 3-0.
Greiner hit Franks with a pitch but got Thomas to fly to Matthew Sandidge in center, bringing up Slunder, the nine-hole hitter for the Panthers.
The third out just would not come.
Slunder singled in Olivi and Gray singled in Franks to make it 5-0. Queck turned to Buck but he unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Slunder to score then King pulled a single into right to plate Gray and it was 7-0.
Peyton Dillon became Bryant’s fourth pitcher and he was greeted by Schluter who hit a drive into the gap in right-center for an RBI double to cap off the inning.
Dillon finally got the third out when Morris bounced to Greiner at short. In the seventh, he pitched around a one-out single by Olivi and an errant pickoff throw, striking out the last two he faced.
But the hill was just too big to climb for the Hornets who fell to 19-7-1 overall and 8-4 in conference play, tied for third with Little Rock Catholic. The Hornets visit North Little Rock on Tuesday, May 1, then host league-leading Conway on Friday, May 4, to wrap up the 7A-Central slate for 2018.
Bryant’s only chance to gain the No. 2 seed and the first round bye that goes with it now is to win out while Cabot loses its last two games against Fort Smith Northside and North Little Rock.
The Hornets are scheduled to conclude the regular season at home on Senior Night Tuesday, May 8, against Class 6A power Sheridan.
