LITTLE ROCK — Blake Patterson pitched three perfect innings and Trevor Ezell blasted a grand slam as the Bryant Hornets overwhelmed the Little Rock J.A. Fair War Eagles, 25-0, on Wednesday night.
Patterson struck out the last seven of the nine batters he faced and used just 40 pitches to wade through the War Eagles.
At the plate, Patterson, like Ezell, had two hits. Both players hit triples in the game.
The headline might actually be, however, that Ezell made an out. It’s just the third time in the last seven games he’s been retired. To open the contest, he grounded out to second. Later, however, he drew a walk, added his triple, then his grand slam, which highlighted an 11-run third inning. He’s now reached base in 24 of his last 27 plate appearances.
Altogether, the Hornets finished with 11 hits, taking advantage of 15 walks, a hit batsman and three errors in the three innings.
Bryant improved to 18-2 overall this season and 7-1 in the South Conference going into a trip to Pine Bluff on Thursday.
After Ezell’s rare out, Evan Lee reached on an error and the Hornets rolled into a nine-run inning. Chase Tucker walked then Trey Breeding’s drive to left was misjudged into a two-run triple. Courtesy runner Connor Tatum scored on a passed ball.
In all, the War Eagles’ battery suffered seven wild pitches and six passed balls as well as a balk.
(It’s really a sad display of high school baseball with all due respect to the Fair players. The lopsided score is commonplace for the War Eagles. And it was the last time Bryant will play Fair at least for a while as the Hornets move to the 7A/6A-Central Conference next year and Fair drops into Class 5A.)
After walks to Jason Hastings and Patterson, Brandan Warner delivered a run with a sacrifice fly. Dalton Holt walked then Korey Thompson drive to left was misplayed into a two-run double.
Ezell walked and Thompson scored on a passed ball. Lee doubled in Ezell and, after Tucker was hit by a pitch, another passed ball allowed Lee to score the ninth run of the frame.
Patterson led off the second with a single. Warner and Thompson drew walks and Ezell ripped an RBI triple. A wild pitch allowed Ezell to score as Lee drew a free pass. Tucker doubled him home to make it 14-0.
The third began with a walk to Hastings and, finally, a pitching change. But it didn’t help. Hastings picked up second and third on passed balls and, when the second one was followed up by an errant throw to third, he scored.
Patterson walked and Warner beat out an infield hit. Holt bounced into a force at third but Thompson walked to load the bases for Ezell who tied into a 2-0 delivery and sent it over the fence in center.
Lee, Logan Allen and Dylan Hurt each walked then two runs scored when Austin Kelly’s grounder to second was booted. Patterson’s triple drove in two then he scored on Nick Kehrees’ groundout.
Justin Emmerling walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on a sharp single to right by Tatum. Jordan Gentry singled but the War Eagles finally got out of the inning before more scoring could occur.
Their futility at the plate continued in the bottom of the inning, however, and the game came to a merciful end.
The two batters of the game that Patterson did not strike out didn’t get the ball out of the infield. In fact, the first batter in the bottom of the opening inning barely got it out of the batters box. A squibber that just barely stayed fair was pounced on by catcher Trey Breeding just before it went foul. His throw to first retired the batter who didn’t run because it appeared that the umpire had called it a foul ball.
The next batter pulled a ball down the third base line that, despite a wicked hop, Warner fielded. His throw to first was the last one the Hornets infield had to make in the game.
