MEMPHIS — The Bryant Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team went 2-3-1 in the 17-and-under division of the Keith Hagan Memorial All-America Classic, a wood bat tournament, last weekend.
In pool play, Arkansas Express of Springdale prevailed 5-1 and the Sox battled the MidSouth Gamers of Byhalia, Miss., to a scoreless tie.
Bryant edged the St. Louis Prospects, 3-2 on Saturday then buried the Madison County, Miss., Thunder, 14-4 on Sunday. A 2-0 loss to Kickapoo Baseball of Springfield, Mo., completed pool play on Monday.
In bracket play, Birmingham Baseball of Alabama ended the Sox’ stay at the tourney with a 3-1 loss.
Birmingham 3, Bryant 1
The Sox fell behind 2-0 in the first and Birmingham added a run in the bottom of the third. Bryant was held hitless until Austin Kelly singled with two down in the fourth. He stole second but was stranded.
In the fifth, Jordan Gentry singled to left center and Christian Harp was hit by a pitch. When Cameron Coleman singled, the Sox had the bases loaded with no one out. With one down, Beaux Bonvillain hit a grounder to third that resulted in a force at the plate. But Seth Tucker came through with an RBI single.
But that’s all the Sox could get. Garrett Misenheimer singled with one out in the seventh but Birmingham turned a doubleplay.
In the seventh, Bryant filled the bases again but couldn’t dent the plate. With one out, Coleman and Myers Buck each singled. With two down, Tucker laced his second hit. Again, however, Birmingham wriggled off the hook.
Scott Schmidt went the distance on the mound. He allowed the three runs on just five hits but one of those was a two-run homer. He fanned two, walked one and hit a batter.
Kickapoo 2, Bryant 0
The Springfield team managed a run off Ty Medford in the first but, with relief help from Aaron Orender, kept it 1-0 until the top of the seventh.
The Sox struggled at the plate. Their first hit didn’t come until Orender singled to lead off the fourth. He stole second and third but was stranded. That proved to be the only hit for Bryant.
In the fifth, Coleman was hit by a pitch but was erased in a doubleplay. In the sixth, Tucker and Buck each walked.
Bryant 14, Madison County 4
The Sox put together their best inning at the plate in the tournament with an eight-run third that gave them a 10-0 lead at the time.
Austin Kelly picked up the win in the five-inning game, allowing a run in the third and three in the fifth. He fanned seven and walked eight. The Thunder managed just four hits.
Bryant took a 2-0 lead in the first. Tucker and Orender singled ahead of a walk to Kelly. Misenheimer bounced into a force at home but when Gentry grounded into a force at second, the relay to first got away and both Orender and Kelly scored.
In the third, Kelly was hit by a pitch. Gentry walked then an errant throw on Coleman’s tap to the mound allowed a run to score. Harp and Buck followed with RBI singles and Jeffrey Hastings walked to force in a run. Walks to Tucker and Orender followed before Misenheimer provided the crowning blow, a two-out double.
In the fourth, Harp walked and Buck singled. When Hastings reached on an error, Harp scored.
The Sox made it a run-rule win in the bottom of the fifth. Misenheimer singled, Brandon Hoover reached on an error and Coleman walked. Harp’s grounder to third was booted then Schmidt delivered a sacrifice fly. Hastings’ RBI single ended the game.
Bryant 3, St. Louis Prospects 2
Orender singled and scored in the bottom of the sixth to snap a 2-2 tie.
Buck and Dylan Hurt combined to hold the Prospects to two runs in the fourth inning.
Orender singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and was sacrificed to second by Schmidt. He took third when Hurt grounded out to second. Gentry walked then left early, got in a rundown and stayed in it long enough for Orender to race home.
Hurt allowed a single to open the top of the seventh but retired the next three to close out the victory.
Bryant grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first. Tucker singled and wound up scoring the run. After St. Louis took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth, the Sox tied it in the home half. Hurt was hit by a pitch, stole his way to third and scored on a passed ball as Gentry was drawing a walk.
Bryant 0, MidSouth 0
Tucker and Boston Heil scattered eight hits in the dual shutout. They struck out 10, walked three and hit two batters between them.
Meanwhile, the Sox struck out 13 times and managed just three hits. Buck singled in the third. In the seventh, Hurt singled but was thrown out trying to get to third on a two-out hit by Kelly.
Arkansas Express 5, Bryant 1
The Sox fell behind 3-0 in the top of the first but scored in the home half on back-to-back doubles by Kelly and Gentry.
But the Express held Bryant to one hit the rest of the way. Kelly singled after Tucker had walked in the third but both were stranded.
The Sox struck out 11 times.
Arkansas Express scored twice in the sixth to complete the scoring.
