Photos by Kevin Nagle
Brandan Warner hauls down an infield pop. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
The South Conference schedule may only be at the halfway point but the Bryant Hornets faced two important games this week, taking on the two teams — El Dorado and Benton — which are tied with them for the league lead.
One down, one to go.
Zach Jackson fired a four-hit shutout and Trevor Ezell went 4-for-4 including two triples, his third and fourth in the team’s last two games, as the Hornets subdued El Dorado’s Wildcats, 8-0, on Wednesday night at Bryant High School Field.
The Hornets, now 17-2 overall, improved to 6-1 in the conference with Benton coming to Bryant (5-1) on Thursday. The Panthers supplied the Hornets their lone league loss on March 18. Bryant hasn’t lost since.
El Dorado, which supplied Benton with its lone conference loss, went down in order in the top of the first. To start the bottom of the inning, Ezell plugged the gap in right-center and sprinted into third with his first three-bagger. A pitch later, Drew Tipton got a bunt down on a safety squeeze and the Hornets had a 1-0 lead.
Chase Tucker and Trey Breeding followed with shots inside the bag at third for consecutive doubles, making it 2-0. Connor Tatum, running for the Hornets catcher, advanced to third on a wild pitch by El Dorado starter Caleb Stutts. He then strolled home on Jason Hastings single to center.
El Dorado’s Grant Garrison and Jacob Prim singled with two out in the top of the second but, on a ball in the dirt to Joseph Boshears, Breeding recovered quickly and looked Garrison back to second. Prim, however, had made a bigger break and was unable to get back in time as Breeding threw behind him to first baseman Dalton Holt. Prim made a bid to get to second but Holt got the ball to second baseman Korey Thompson for the tag that ended the inning.
Bryant head coach Kirk Bock talks to pitcher Zack Jackson during the fourth inning. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
And, with one out in the home half of the frame, Ezell blasted a drive deep to center that El Dorado’s Ty Owens couldn’t get to, resulting in a second triple for the Hornets’ lead-off man. Tipton followed with a sharp grounder to Garrison at third. Ezell made a quick move toward home then held, making Garrison look him back. By that time, Tipton had crossed the first base bag. Tucker followed with a sacrifice fly and it was 4-0.
Justin Childs singled with one out in El Dorado’s third. Clay Henry grounded into a force at second then, trying to steal, was gunned down by Breeding to end the inning.
Stutts picked around a two-out walk to Justin Emmerling to keep it 4-0 going into the fourth. Jackson issued his first walk to Owens to lead off the fourth and, with Mason Clay at the plate, Owens was running on an 0-1 pitch. Clay grounded to Ezell at short who fired to first for the out. Owens didn’t hesitate, rounding second. He headed to third only to have Holt fire a strike across the diamond to Warner who applied a tag in time to nail Owens for a double play.
Drew Tipton charges a ball in left field. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Rhett Connor followed with a single off the glove of the diving Warner at third but, two pitches later, Jackson picked him off first to close out the inning.
Thompson laced a double down the line in left to open Bryant’s fourth. Stutts gave way to lefty Dalton Goad who unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Thompson to advance to third. Ezell pulled a single into left to drive him in.
After Ezell stole second, Tipton beat out an infield hit and El Dorado made another pitching change, bringing on Prim. He got Tucker to tap back towards the mound but Prim, trying to get a force at second, pulled Clay off the bag with his throw. Ezell scored to make it 6-0. A balk allowed the runners to move to second and third and, with one out, Hastings delivered a sacrifice fly.
Jackson proceeded to retire nine of the last 10 El Dorado batters, the lone base runner was Henry, who walked with two down in the sixth and stole second. But Jackson got Owens to foul out to Breeding to preserve the shutout.
In the bottom of the sixth, Breeding drew a one-out walk. With two down, Holt reached on an error. A wild pitch moved Tatum and Holt to third and second as Emmerling drew his third walk. With Warner at the plate, Prim unleashed another wild pitch and Tatum scored to set the final margin.
HORNETS 8, WILDCATS 0
El Dorado ab r h bi Bryant ab r h bi
Henry, lf 2 0 0 0 Ezell, ss 4 3 4 1
Owens, cf 2 0 0 0 Tipton, lf 3 1 1 1
Clay, ss 3 0 0 0 Tucker, cf 3 1 1 2
Connor, rf 3 0 1 0 Breeding, c 3 0 1 1
Messer, 1b 3 0 0 0 Tatum, cr 0 2 0 0
Garrison, 3b 2 0 1 0 Hastings, rf 3 0 1 2
Prim, dh-p 2 0 1 0 Holt, 1b 4 0 0 0
Boshears, c 2 0 0 0 Emmerling, dh 1 0 0 0
Childs, 2b 2 0 1 0 Warner, 3b 4 0 1 0
Stutts, p 0 0 0 0 Thompson, 2b 3 1 1 0
Goad, p 0 0 0 0 Jackson, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 21 0 4 0 Totals 28 8 10 7
El Dorado 000 000 0 — 0
Bryant 310 301 x — 8
E—Stutts, Prim, Garrison. DP—Bryant 1. LOB—El Dorado 2, Bryant 9. 2B—Tucker, Breeding, Thompson. 3B—Ezell 2. S—Tipton. SF—Tucker, Hastings. SB—Ezell, Henry.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
El Dorado
Stutts (L) 3 5 5 6 2 0
Goad 0 2 1 2 0 0
Prim 3 1 0 2 2 2
Bryant
Jackson (W) 7 0 0 4 2 3
Balk—Prim. WP—Stutts 3, Prim 2.
Korey Thompson applies a tag on Clay Henry on a failed steal attempt. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
