Easterling makes trio of unearned runs in the sixth hold up for Sox victory
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
The Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant scored three runs without a hit in the bottom of the fifth and right-hander Noah Easterling picked off two base-runners in the top of the sixth to defuse a threat by Hot Springs Village Graves Performance Sports in a 7-6 comeback win on Tuesday night.
Easterling pitched a pair of scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win as the Sox improved to 14-4 overall going into a doubleheader tonight at Benton, another on Thursday against Arkadelphia, and another at Texarkana on Saturday.
Trailing 6-4 going into the bottom of the fifth, Bryant’s Jordan Gentry worked a walk against Hot Springs Village starter Kelton Collins. Drew Brown sacrificed to get him into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Gentry to advance to third with Cameron Coleman at the plate. He too wound up working a walk and when the fourth ball was a wild pitch, Gentry scored. Coleman hustled to second and drew a wild throw from catcher Dylan Stigall. Then when the throw from the outfield to third was off target, Coleman scrambled in with the tying run.
Moments later, Collins struck Diego Vargas with a pitch for the second time in the game.
That brought a pitching change but, after Vargas stole second and Logan Allen walked, Jessie unleashed a wild pitch that put runners at second and third. Connor Tatum drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly.
In the top of the sixth, Graves’ Tyler Dauber reached on an error but, with lead-off man Cody Fortner at the plate, Easterling picked off Dauber. Fortner, as it turned out, blooped a single to center on a 2-2 pitch. With Dylan Anderson at the plate, though, Easterling caught Fortner leaving first too early producing another pickoff.
With two down, Anderson drilled a double to left much to the frustration of the Hot Springs Village team. Tyler Robertson followed with a bouncer to the right side that Vargas ranged to his right and in to field. His throw to first just beat Robertson to end the inning.
HSV started to take the field defensively for the bottom of the sixth but the game was called as the time limit neared expiration.
A pair of hit batsmen and a two-run double by Jessie gave Hot Springs Village the lead in the top of the first. Jessie reached third but was stranded as Bryant starter Aaron Orender worked out of the jam.
The Sox hit Collins and his teammates with three runs in the bottom of the inning to gain the upper hand. Allen singled, Tatum walked and, with one out, Dylan Hurt smacked a chopper over the third baseman’s head for an RBI single. With two down, Gentry slapped a single the other way to bring Tatum and Hurt around, making it 3-2.
Hot Springs Village tied it in the top of the second, however. With one out, Collins walked. Dauber got a sacrifice bunt down that was misplayed, putting runners at first and second with one out. Fortner cracked a solid single to center to drive in the tying tally.
Anderson tapped back to Orender who got a force at third. The Bryant hurler then extricated himself and the Sox when he picked Fortner off second.
In the third, Collins helped his own cause with a two-run double after two were retired, giving his team a 5-3 edge. In turn, Hunter Oglesby was hit by a pitch, stole second, took third on Gentry’s sacrifice and scored on Brown’s base hit through the left side.
HSV made it 6-4 in the top of the fourth. Fortner walked, stole second and scored on Robertson’s one-out knock. The Sox were unable to respond in the bottom of the fourth but Easterling relieved in the fifth, setting down Graves on just eight pitches in the top of the fifth, setting up the Bryant rally.
BRYANT EVERETT 7, HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE GRAVES PERFORMANCE SPORTS 6
HSV ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Fortner, cf 3 1 2 1 Allen, cf 3 1 1 0
Anderson, ss 3 1 1 0 Tatum, ss 1 1 0 1
Robertson, 2b 3 1 1 1 Misenheimer, c 4 0 1 0
Jessie, 3b 3 0 2 2 Jarvis, cr 0 0 0 0
Norwood, 1b 3 1 0 0 Hurt, dh 3 1 1 1
Gunoe, rf 3 1 0 0 Oglesby, lf 2 1 0 0
Stigall, c 3 0 1 0 Welch, lf 0 0 0 0
Collins, p-3b 2 1 1 2 Gentry, 3b 1 1 1 2
Dauber, lf 3 0 0 0 Brown, 1b 1 0 1 1
Coleman, rf 2 1 0 0
Vargas, 2b 0 1 0 0
Orender, p 0 0 0 0
Easterling, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 25 6 8 6 Totals 17 7 5 5
Hot Springs Village 212 100 — 6
Bryant Everett 301 03x — 7
E—Gentry, Vargas, Stigall, Gunoe. Tatum. LOB—Hot Springs Village 6, Bryant 8. 2B—Jessie, Collins, Anderson. SB—Hurt, Tatum, Gentry, Oglesby, Coleman, Fortner, Vargas. S—Gentry, Brown. SF—Tatum.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Hot Springs Village
Collins (L) 4.1 7 6 5 5 0
Jessie 0.2 0 0 0 1 0
Bryant
Orender 4 6 4 6 2 2
Easterling (W) 2 0 0 2 0 1
HBP—Anderson, Robertson (by Orender), Vargas 2, Oglesby (by Collins). WP—Collins, Jessie. PB—Stigall, Misenheimer.
