NORTH LITTLE ROCK — The Bryant Hornets junior varsity team scored five runs over the first two innings and a trio of pitchers made it hold up for a 5-2 win over the North Little Rock JV on Thursday.
Hayden Daniel had two hits for the Hornets who improved to 11-2-1 this season.[more]
All the scoring was done in the first two innings. The Hornets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the opening inning. Daniel sliced a single down the right field line for a single then Tyler Brown grounded a base hit through the left side. Lucas Castleberry got a bunt down and reached safely when the third baseman fielded the ball and turned to make a play at third on Daniel only to find no one covering. A walk to Landon Pickett forced in a run then Brown came home on a grounder to second by Tyler Nelson.
After a pitching change, Cameron Price lifted a sacrifice fly to center to bring Castleberry home.
In the bottom of the inning, North Little Rock used a double, a single and two errors to score its two runs before Pickett worked out of the inning.
Marcus Wilson singled up the middle to start the Hornets’ second. An overthrow allowed him to take second on the play. Two outs later with Wilson at third after a passed ball, Castleberry walked. He then got in a rundown between first and second allowing Wilson to race home from third.
Walks to Pickett, Nelson and Price forced in a second run to complete the scoring.
Jordan Taylor worked a 1-2-3 second on the mound for Bryant.
In the third, North Little Rock got a base-runner on by error but Taylor picked him off second to end the inning. He pitched around a one-out single in the fourth then gave way to Matt Neal in the fifth. After a lead-off double and a one-out single, he struck out the last two batters to end the game.
Daniel had a single in the third, Pickett walked in the fourth and Hayden Lessenberry added a base hit in the fifth for Bryant.
The Hornets host Little Rock Central on Tuesday.
