LITTLE ROCK — Turner Seelinger and Will Hathcote combined to throw a one-hitter at the Little Rock Catholic Rockets at Lamar Porter Field on Tuesday.
Yet, the Bryant Hornets suffered their first 6A-Central Conference loss, 5-2.
How did that happen?
Well, Seelinger had a no-hitter going and the Hornets led 2-0 through four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Catholic’s Cooper McDaniel sliced a one-hopper into right field, just beyond the reach of Hornets’ second baseman Austin Ledbetter’s diving attempt.
McDaniel stole second then Evan Booe, hit a grounder between short and third that Bryant shortstop Noah Davis ranged over to field. But his off-balance throw to third, hoping to nab McDaniel advancing was errant and the potential tying runs were on base with nine-hole hitter Whit Knisley at the plate. Seelinger issued his second walk of the game and the bases were loaded with the top of the Rockets’ lineup coming around.
Seelinger and Brady Claypool battled to a 3-2 count. Claypool took ball four and it forced in the first Rockets’ run.
Hathcote relieved at that point and McWilliams, the Catholic starter, got a squeeze bunt down to get the tying run home.
With one out, Luke George hit a flyball to deep center for a sacrifice fly. Knisley scored the go-ahead run and when Claypool tagged to go to third, he drew an errant relay that allowed him to score as well, making it 4-2.
Often this season, the Hornets have been able to rally late and pull games like this out. But not this time as McWilliams retired 11 of the last 12 Bryant batters to close out the win. The Hornets’ lone baserunner during that stretch was Garret Wilson, who reached on an error with one out in the top of the seventh.
The Rockets added a run without a hit in the bottom of the sixth. Jackson Daniel was hit by a pitch, took second on a wild pitcher, stole third as Davis Ford bunted through a pitch. He scored on another wild pitch as Hathcote was striking out the side.
The loss ended Bryant’s 10-game winning streak. Now 17-2 overall, the Hornets are 8-1 in conference play. They still lead the league but their margin for error as dwindled. They’re two games ahead of Conway and Cabot, going into a trip to North Little Rock on Thursday in a game that will start at 6:30 p.m., after the Charging Wildcats host Little Rock Southwest.
The Hornets had taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Conner Martin reached second on a throwing error when he bounced to third. Martin reached third on a wild pitch and, with one out, scored on Seelinger’s grounder to second.
In the third, Ledbetter led off with a single to left and, with one out, J.T. Parker lined a single to center that nearly got past Daniel. Seelinger was hit by a pitch to load the bases then Wilson grounded into a force at second as Ledbetter scored.
Wilson took second on a ball in the dirt that didn’t get far enough away for Parker to score from third. McWilliams escaped further damage with a strikeout to end the inning.
Seelinger had pitched around a hit batsman and a walk in the first. He worked around a one-out error in the third. Those were the only baserunners for Catholic until the game-turning fifth.
The Hornets did not threaten after scoring in the fourth.
