Cates steps in, combines with Phillips on three-hit gem in Sport Shop Sox’ win
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When Joey Cates came to the ballpark at Bryant High School Thursday evening, he didn’t realize he’d be the starting pitcher for the Sport Shop Black Sox. But when scheduled starter Bailey Bowers experienced some soreness in his arm as he warmed up, Sox manager Hunter Mayall had to re-write the line-up card and press Cates into duty on the mound.
The right-hander promptly pitched five innings of two-hit shutout ball. The Sox’ opponent Cabot White managed an unearned run in the top of the sixth to tie the game, 1-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, C.J. Phillips led off with a double down the line in left, just the fourth hit by the Black Sox against Cabot right-hander Ethan Smith. Phillips stole third and, after walks to Weston Jones and Justin Emmerling, Caleb Chaffin came through with a sacrifice fly to put Bryant back on top.
Phillips, who hadn’t pitched since last summer, took over on the mound and picked up a save by closing the game out. He struck out the side and the Sport Shop team secured the 2-1 victory.
It was another indication that Phillips has overcome the back problems that cost him much of the high school season. A night after catching game two of the Senior Sox’ doubleheader sweep of the Little Rock Vipers on Wednesday, he came through for the AA Sox on the mound.
Cates got the win, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out six in six frames. Smith took the loss despite allowing just four hits. But he walked five while fanning three.
It was his first walk in the second inning that produced the initial run in the ballgame. It was a four-pitch pass to Emmerling who proceeded to steal second then third. When the throw to third was errant, he scored.
With two out, Chaffin singled and Bradley Plunkett walked but Smith escaped further damage with a strikeout.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the sixth when Cabot’s Collin Thames drew a lead-off walk. He took second on a wild pitch then got to third and home on consecutive passed balls.
It was just the second time in the game that Cabot had managed to get a runner to second. In the first, Smith walked and, with one out, Dalton Hurst grounded into a force. An error allowed Brandon Jones to reach as Hurst advanced to second. But Cates struck out Logan Edmonson to end the threat.
Smith accounted for White’s first hit, a bloop single in shallow right with one out in the third. Cates, who had a wicked breaking ball all evening, fanned Thames again and got Hurst to fly to Emmerling in center to preserve the shutout.
In the fourth, Nick Kehrees made a sparkling back-handed play in the hole at short to rob Brandon Jones of a hit. Edmonson followed with a single but the Sox went around the horn for a doubleplay as Cates continued to blank the Cabot team.
He would work around a one-out walk in the fifth before the sixth-inning run. Cabot had a chance to take the lead when Brandon Jones singled with one out in the sixth, taking second on a wild pitch. But Cates fanned Edmonson and got Tyler Fowler to fly to Weston Jones in right to end the inning with the game tied.
Sport Shop nearly stole a run in the third. Cates had beaten out an infield hit, hustling to first on the slow roller to the left of the second baseman. He swiped second then Kehrees hit a nubber up the first base line. Smith got to it but had to rush a throw to first to just nip Kehrees. Cates eased into third then, when homeplate was left uncovered, he sprinted for home. But Smith made a nice play, making a running catch of a return throw from first baseman Sean Williams and got to the plate just in time to get the tag on Cates.
The Sox only had three other base-runners before the tale-tell sixth. Phillips walked with two out in the third, Zach Graddy singled with one out in the fourth and Cates reached on an error with two down in the fifth.
The win evened the AA Sox’ record at 4-4 going into a doubleheader at home against Morrilton on Friday.
BRYANT SPORT SH0P 2, CABOT WHITE 1
Cabot White ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Smith, p 2 0 1 0 Cates, p-2b 3 0 1 0
Thames, cf 2 1 0 0 Kehrees, ss 3 0 0 0
Hurst, c 3 0 0 0 Phillips, 2b-p 2 1 1 0
B.Jones, 3b 3 0 1 0 W.Jones, 3b-rf 2 0 0 0
Edmonson, lf 3 0 1 0 Emmerling, cf 1 1 0 0
Fowler, ss 3 0 0 0 Graddy, c 3 0 1 0
Gartman, dh-2b 3 0 0 0 Bowers, cr 0 0 0 0
Williams, 1b 1 0 0 0 Chaffin, 1b 2 0 1 1
Woods, ph 1 0 0 0 Plunkett, lf 2 0 0 0
Zeefrldorf, rf 3 0 0 0 Shropshire, rf 2 0 0 0
Cason, 2b 0 0 0 0 Bowers, 3b 0 0 0 0
Totals 24 1 3 0 Totals 20 2 4 1
Cabot White 000 001 0 — 1
Bryant 010 001 x — 2
E—Kehrees, Hurst, Williams. DP—Cabot 1, Bryant 1. LOB—Cabot 5, Bryant 6. 2B—Phillips. SB—Emmerling 2, Cates, Phillips, W.Jones. SF—Chaffin.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Cabot White
Smith (L) 6 2 2 4 5 3
Bryant
Cates (W) 6 1 0 3 3 6
Phillips (Save) 1 0 0 0 0 3
WP—Cates 2. PB—Graddy 2.
