Trip to West Memphis worthwhile
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue 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).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
WEST MEMPHIS — Bryant Hornets senior right-hander Daniel Price was just getting his rhythm when the early-season pitch limit caught up with him. Against the West Memphis Blue Devils on Friday, Feb. 27, Price had struck out five in a row when head coach Terry Harper came to the mound to get him. He had shut out West Memphis on three hits through 5 2/3 innings and, despite his departure, earned the victory in the Hornets’ 5-2 win at Tilden-Rogers Field.
Price struck out eight, walked one and hit two in his first official outing of the season. Lefty James Leigh relieved in the sixth and continued the strikeout run, fanning the last batter of the sixth and the first one of the seventh.
Leigh fooled the Devils’ next hitter Shea Cole on a 2-2 delivery, but Cole squibbed a swinging bunt down the third-base line. An errant throw to first allowed him to reach first and it seemed to affect Leigh’s rhythm. He walked the next three to force in a run. Todd Bryant relieved and issued another RBI walk before ending the game with two more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, West Memphis starter Josh Musselwhite walked nine, struck out 10 and threw around 160 pitches in the February chill. He allowed only five hits but the Hornets made the most of them along with the walks and four West Memphis errors.
Bryant gained the lead in the first inning when Musselwhite walked the bases loaded. With one out, Zach Young skied a pop on the infield. The poor lighting at the field hurt the home team. Though the infield fly rule was invoked, the ball dropped behind the mound and Bryan was able to score from third.
The Hornets added a run in the fourth when Dustin Easterly drew a one-out walk and courtesy runner Hunter Nugent swiped second. (Nugent had three stolen bases in the contest.) Andrew Moseley followed with a drive over the center fielder’s head for an RBI double.
West Memphis threatened in the first two innings. A lead-off double by Tyler Allen, a stolen base, a hit batter and a sacrifice put runners at second and third with two out but Price got out of the inning by inducing a grounder to Justin Wells at short.
In the second, a one-out single by Cole and a two-out hit batsman put runners at first and second for Allen who smacked a sinking liner to left that Bryant’s Dustin Tinkler charged and speared with a diving effort.
After that, the Devils couldn’t get a man past first until the seventh.
Bryant padded its lead in the sixth, scoring twice without a hit. Tinkler walked and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. Easterly then got down a squeeze bunt to score him. Nugent, in again to run for Easterly the Bryant catcher, stole second then took third on yet another wild pitch. An out later, Bryant walked. Wells brought home Nugent with a sacrifice fly to right and, after Richie Wood drew a free pass, Bryan scored when Travis Wood’s bouncer to short was botched.
