Davis caps off big day as Junior Sox get past Sticks Red
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BENTONVILLE — Noah Davis had three more hits, making him 6 of 7 for the day, and drove in three runs as the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team won their second pool play game at the Chad Wolf Classic at Bentonville High School, 8-4 over the Sticks 2020 Red team on Friday.
The Sox play two more pool games on Saturday. At 2:30, they take on the Poplar Bluff Vipers at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville then they play the Arkansas Prospects at 6 p.m., at Fayetteville High.
Peyton Dillon, with seventh-inning relief from Tyler Bates, allowed four runs, three earned on nine hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Bates pitched around a walk to close out the victory.
The Sticks built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and second frames. But the Sox gained the upper hand with a four-run third.
A walk to Lawson Speer started the uprising. Davis doubled him home then scored on a two-out double by Dillon. Garrett Wilson’s two-bagger put the Black Sox ahead then he scored on a single by Zion Collins.
The Sticks made it 4-3 with an unearned run in the bottom of the third. After a pair of one-out singles, Dillon struck out the next two batters to preserve the lead.
And Bryant increased the margin in the top of the fourth. With one out, Blaine Sears ripped a double. Speer’s infield hit put runners at the corners for Davis, whose fly to right fell in for a hit, driving in Sears.
Ryan Riggs walked to load the bases and, with two away, Speer scored on a passed ball to make it 6-3.
Dillon settled in and worked around a one-out single in the home fourth.
In the top of the fifth, the Sox tacked one more onto the lead. Slade Renfrow doubled and took third on an errant pickoff throw. Sears walked then he and Renfrow worked a double steal to make it 7-3.
The Sticks tried to mount a rally in the bottom of the sixth with a one-out walk and a pair of two-out singles.
Bryant got that back in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Davis after Renfrow had singled to center and Sears had walked.
Bates walked the first batter of the home seventh but, with one out, Renfrow threw him out trying to steal and Bates ended it with a strikeout.