Fast start, strong pitching help Bryant Everett top Benton Everett
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The Everett Black Sox AA American Legion team of Bryant ran its record to 5-0 on the season on Wednesday, June 6, when[more] Devin Dupree combined with Zach Cambron on a three-hitter on the way to a 3-1 win over the Benton Everett Junior team at Bryant High School Field.
Cody Gogus slugged a solo homer as part of a two-run first that put the Black Sox on top.
It was a tight, efficiently played contest with the Bryant duo dueling with Benton’s Tyler Turbyfill who settled in after a rocky start limited the Sox to one unearned run on three hits the rest of the way.
Dupree shut out the Benton team as he worked into the fourth inning, allowing just one hit through the first three frames. In the fourth, he retired the first two with help from a nice play by Trevor Ezell at short. Michael Higgenbotham then drew a walk and Clifton Lockeby singled up the middle for his team’s second hit of the game.
Cambron relieved at that point and struck out Grant Posey to send it to the fifth. The lefty allowed just one hit the rest of the way and Benton eked out an unearned run in the top of the sixth. In the seventh, he struck out the first two then walked Tyler Lewis. Zack Coplinger reached on a throwing error putting the potential tying runs in scoring position. But Cambron struck out Turbyfill to end it.
Bryant’s first began with a single by Ezell who stole second and scored on a base hit by Marcus Wilson. Though Wilson was thrown out trying to take second on the late throw to the plate, with two down, Gogus mashed his solo shot down the left-field line to make it 2-0.
Harrison Dale followed with a single but Turbyfill got Jason Hastings to fly to right to end the inning.
Trey Breeding singled with two out in the second but was thrown out trying to steal by Coplinger, the Benton catcher. The same thing happened in the third when Wes Akers singled with two down.
Turbyfill worked around a walk to Dale in the fourth then ran into some more trouble in the fifth. Austin Caldwell singled and Breeding reached on an error. Ezell was hit by a pitch to load the bases and when Wilson grounded into a force at third, Caldwell scored. Benton got out of it without further damage by turning a doubleplay.
Benton had baserunners in every inning. In the first, Dupree worked around a tow-out walk to Turbyfill. In the second, Kody Fortner singled with one out but, after Dupree fanned Lockeby, Posey grounded into a force out.
Lewis walked with one out in the third and was sacrificed to second by Coplinger but stranded when Turbyfill lined out to Korey Thompson at second.
After Cambron got the final out of the fourth forcing Benton to strand two, he issued a walk to Jordan Allred to start the fifth but picked him off as the Sox worked a rundown efficiently.
In the sixth, a third-strike passed ball allowed Turbyfill to reach. He stole second and took third on a single by Dylan Pierce. After Pierce stole second and Cambron struck out Blake Nesbitt, Higgenbotham’s flyball to center allowed Turbyfill to tag and score.
But Cambron fanned Lockeby to strand Pierce at third.
The Sox were set to play in a tournament in Hot Springs over the weekend.
