RUSSELLVILLE — Logan Catton made a quick trip around the bases.
Between first and second, he raised both fists in the air. At second, he gave out a hoot and on his way to third, he clapped his hands in excitement.
It was, in fact, his first over-the-fence home run but, more than that, it gave his Bryant Black Sox a lead in the top of the seventh inning; a Sox team looking for its first win after an 0-4 start at a tournament in Fort Smith over the weekend.
Slade Renfrow, with his third inning of one-hit relief, made it stand up as Bryant notched its first win of the summer 5-4 at Hickey Park, against the Russellville Pirates team that was one of the surprising teams at the Senior American Legion State tournament last year, with most of the team returning.
J.T. Parker slugged a three-run homer for the Sox and Tyler Bates got a strikeout in relief of starter Will Hathcote to get out of a bases-loaded jam.
Unfortunately, the defense, uncharacteristically, let the Black Sox down all night, particularly in the second game of the doubleheader. With Bryant leading 3-2 going into the bottom of the fifth, Russellville scored an unearned run in the bottom of the inning to tie and two in the bottom of the sixth to take a lead that held up for a 5-3 win.
Only three of the Pirates’ run in the twinbill were earned as the Sox committed four errors in the first game and three more in the second.
As of now, the Senior Sox are scheduled to return to action in the Chad Wolffe Classic in Fayetteville on Thursday, June 18, but manager Darren Hurt was hoping to find another game for his team between now and then.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said of his team, which is usually starting Legion season on the heels of a full high school campaign. But with the Covid-19 pandemic, there were only six games in February and early March to the high school season. Individual, independent workouts were all that were allowed for much of the time since then.
Hurt got mound work for five pitchers. Along with Hathcote, Bates and Renfrow in the first game, Peyton Dillon and Coby Greiner took the mound in game two.
“I liked the pitching for the most part,” Hurt said. “You know, Peyton Dillon was really good. The first inning, they kind of got on him a little bit but after that he was lights out. That was good to see because we’re going to have to have him be one of our main starters. But all the pitching was really good. If we would’ve made a few more plays out here, we really would’ve shut them down.
“We’re seeing a lot of groundballs during the week, but we are rusty, I guess you’d say,” he said. “Defensively, it’s really shown. And at the plate. We’re getting better at the plate but defensively we’ve still got a ways to go.”
Hurt noted that he’s had teams in the past reach their peak too early at times. He figures this year’s model should be peaking at just the right time, as the State tournament arrives.
The Sox got some clutch hits in the game including the dingers by Catton and Parker. In game two, Blaine Sears came through in the clutch as did Dillon.
Still, Bryant stranded eight runners in the win and 11 in the loss.
Bryant 5, Russellville 4
Catton’s decisive homer came on the first pitch he saw from the Pirates’ Cole Dawson with one out in the top of the seventh.
Incidentally, Dawson was the losing pitcher in relief in the first game and the winning pitcher in relief in the second.
The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first when Ryan Riggs, who was on base all night, singled to center with one out. When the ball got past the centerfielder, Riggs raced to third. He scored on Cade Drennan’s grounder to short.
Riggs was 3 for 5 with three walks in the two games.
The Pirates tied it in the bottom of the second. Ben Jones reached on an error and stole second. Ty Hipps walked, and Lance Millsaps was hit by a pitch. Hathcote came back to fan Ty Toland but Dawson came through with a sacrifice fly.
Hathcote struggled a bit with his command. He walked three and hit four in his 3 2/3 innings. He allowed three hits.
In the third, the Pirates managed their lone earned run of the game. With two down, Caleb Tramel walked and stole second. Eli Thomas hit a grounder to the left side that shortstop Noah Davis was able to only knock down, which figured to save a run. But the ball ricocheted too far for him to get to it and throw to the plate as Tramel slid across safely.
In Bryant’s fourth, Catton led off with a walk. Dillon got a sacrifice bunt down that drew an errant throw to first. Catton wound up at third as Dillon crossed first safely. Gage Stark got a bunt down on a squeeze attempt but Jordan Metcalf, the pitcher, got to it in time to get Catton at the plate.
Parker worked the count to 2-2 before he launched his homer to left, giving the Sox a 4-2 lead.
Bryant threatened to get more when Sears singled and was safe at second as Greiner reached on an error. After Davis’ fly to right was flagged down, Riggs walked to load the bases with two down. Drennan blasted a fly to the deepest part of the park but it stayed in play and Jones made the catch.
The bottom of the fourth was rugged for the Sox. Hipps reached on an error but Hathcote retired the next two. A grounder to the right side got Hipps to second then he stole third. Dawson and Hathcote batted to a 2-2 count — just a strike away from getting out of the inning unscathed — Dawson was hit by a pitch.
Dawson stole second and Blake Chambers slapped a single to right to plate two to tie.
Metcalf’s hit-and-run single put runners at first and third then Hathcote struck Tramel to load the bases.
That’s when the lefty Bates came on to battle Eli Thomas, who fouled off a pair of 3-2 deliveries before Bates struck him out to keep it 4-4.
Renfrow allowed a one-out single to Hipps in the fifth but Drennan three him out stealing. Lance Millsaps walked but then the Bryant sidewinder settled in and retired the last seven he faced, five of them on strikes.
The Sox were unable to take advantage of a one-out single by Dillon in the fifth and a one-out double by Greiner in the sixth.
Russellville 5, Bryant 3
With the game tied 3-3, Russellville had loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Jones singled, Hipps reached on an error and Toland walked. But Greiner struck out Brandon Bunning and appeared to be out of the inning when Dawson hit a fly to right. But it was misjudged and fell in. Two runs scored to put the Pirates ahead.
Bryant threatened in the seventh. Catton beat out an infield hit and stole second. A wild pitch sent him to third as Dillon drew a one-out walk. But Dawson ended it with a flourish getting the last two outs on strikes.
Russellville took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Dawson, Chambers and Thomas had singles, and each stole a base. One run scored on a groundout by Tramel. Thomas’ hit came on a 1-2 count with two out.
Pirates’ left Cole Hathcote had pitched around first-inning singles by Riggs and Drennan with the help of Jones in center, who flagged down Catton’s liner then made a sliding catch of Parker’s bloop.
Dillon settled in and allowed just one other hit through four. He fanned six and walked three. Riggs threw out two would-be stealers, including Jones who doubled with one out in the fourth.
The Sox got on the board in the top of the fourth. Parker’s one-out double lit the fuse. Brayden Lester worked a walk and Aaron Morgan was plunked by a pitch to load the bases. That’s when Sears came through with a lined single up the middle.
But Hathcote forced the Sox to strand three by fanning the next two.
In the fifth, Bryant took the lead. Riggs walked and Drennan was drilled. A wild pitch moved them to second and third. Catton came up with a sacrifice fly on a short pop to left center that nearly fell in for a hit. Jones robbed him with another sliding grab.
With two down, Dillon singled up the middle as the Pirates’ second baseman over-ran the hot grounder. Drennan scored from second and Dillon wound up there when Jones’ throw to the plate got away.
Morgan was plunked again to put two aboard but Thomas, in relief of Hathcote, got a strikeout to keep it 3-2.
An error opened the door for Russellville in the bottom of the fifth as Bunning reached. Dawson grounded into a force but stole second and scored on a two-strike, two-out single by Metcalf.
In the top of the sixth, Greiner reached on an error and Noah Davis walked. Riggs tried to bunt them over, but Greiner was forced at third. The inning ended on a strike-‘em-out, throw-‘em-out as Davis tried to sneak into third as Drennan fanned.
