MEMPHIS — Despite being the top-seeded team in bracket play at the Keith Hagan Memorial All-American Classic after the weekend’s pool play, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team wound up being matched up against the only team that had beaten them.
And, sure enough, the Memphis Tigers 18U team did it again on Tuesday morning behind a stellar pitching performance. The Sox were blanked on six hits in a 7-0 loss.
The game was originally scheduled for Monday night but storms forced the postponement, leaving the Black Sox in the position of having to win two games later on Tuesday to get to the championship round.
Jake East had two hits for Bryant. Garrett Misenheimer, Dylan Hurt, Scott Schmidt and Matthew Sandidge each added singles.
Lefty Beaux Bonvillain started for the Sox and kept the Tigers off the board until the third when three singles and a double produced a 3-0 lead.
The Sox had threatened in the first when East singled, Misenheimer walked and Hurt beat out a bunt hit to load the bases. But all three were stranded as the Tigers’ hurler retired the next two.
That proved to be the only inning in which the Sox managed to get more than one batter on base until the seventh.
Misenheimer singled with two down in the third and East led off with an infield hit in the sixth. After the first two were retired in the seventh Schmidt beat out an infield hit, Sandidge lined a single to center and Logan Allen drew a walk to load the bases but the Sox were frustrated again.
Memphis tacked on with a run in the fourth, two in the fifth and, after Seth Tucker relieved for Bryant, one more in the sixth.
Special thanks to Sandy Orender
