By Rob Patrick
BRYANT, Ark. — The junior varsity game got a head start on Monday, March 30, when the Bryant Hornets hosted the out-manned Little Rock J.A. Fair War Eagles.
The Hornets varsity put up 10 runs in the bottom of the first and head coach Kirk Bock subbed out everybody in the lineup except freshman pitcher Jordan Taylor. Bryant went on to win 12-0 in five innings before the JV game started for real. Fair sent out the same nine players in the JV game and Bryant's reserves continued the onslaught, winning 20-0 in three frames including a 16-run second in which 21 batters came to the plate.
The varsity improved to 10-3 on the season going into Tuesday's first-place showdown with 7A-Central Conference rival North Little Rock at BHS field.
Taylor wound up tossing a one-hitter, recording 12 of the 15 outs on strikes. He faced one over the minimum, hitting a batter in the fifth inning.[more]
Actually, Taylor faced an eight-batter lineup. The War Eagles skipped a batter both times through against him. He struck out the side in the first, third and fifth. The count went to 3-2 on just one batter, the lead-off man Steven Reed to open the game.
The home first began with a walk to Hunter Mayall. Caleb Garrett sacrificed him to second then took third when Kaleb Jobe's fly to center was dropped. Brady Butler drew a walk to load the bases for Tyler Sawyer who rifled a single to right-center, driving home the game's first two runs.
Brennan Bullock's single loaded the bases again for Tyler Brown, who blooped a single to right for an RBI. Sawyer scored on a wild pitch and Bullock came home on a passed ball after Jonathan Wade was hit by a pitch. A walk to Justin Blankenship loaded the sacks again for Mayall. He delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0.
A balk moved runners to second and third and Garrett cracked a two-run double to left-center. Jobe singled him in and, after another balk, another wild pitch, and a walk to Butler, Sawyer singled in the 10th run.
In the second, Austin Benning doubled, Hunter Alford walked and, after a passed ball, Landon Pickett drove both home with a double that landed on the left-field line, making it 12-0.
Fair's lone hit came on a grounder to the right side with two out in the top of the fourth off the bat of Denzel Parker. Benning ranged far to his left and made a diving stop but he just couldn't quite get up and get the throw to first in time to beat Parker. Moments later, however, catcher B.J. Ellis throw Parker out when he tried to steal second.
Benning had another hit in the third, as did Alford but both were stranded. In the fourth, Jacob Clark singled, Lucas Castleberry walked and Austin Queck reached on an error to load the bases with two out but got no further.
HORNETS 12, WAR EAGLES 0
J.A. Fair Bryant
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Reed, 1b 2 0 0 0 Mayall, dh 0 1 0 1
Steward, p 2 0 0 0 Pickett, dh 2 0 1 2
Guyton, 3b 2 0 0 0 Garrett, cf 1 1 1 2
Parker, c 2 0 1 0 Clark, cf 1 0 1 0
Glenn, ss 2 0 0 0 K.Jobe, c 2 0 1 1
Gaines, cf 0 0 0 0 E.Jobe, cr 0 2 0 0
Goodwin, dh 1 0 0 0 Ellis, c 2 0 0 0
Turner, 2b 2 0 0 0 Butler, 1b 0 1 0 0
McKenzie, rf 2 0 0 0 Milam, 1b 1 0 0 0
Mayo, lf 0 0 0 0 Sawyer, ss 2 1 2 3
Castleberry, ss 1 0 0 0
Bullock, lf 2 1 1 0
Queck, lf 2 0 0 0
Brown, 2b 1 1 1 1
Benning, 2b 3 1 2 0
Wade, 3b 0 1 0 0
Alford, 3b 1 1 1 0
Blankenship, rf 0 1 0 0
E.Jobe, rf 2 0 0 0
Taylor, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 15 0 1 0 Totals 23 12 11 10
J.A. Fair 000 00 — 0
BRYANT (10)20 0x — 15
E—Gaines, Guyton. LOB—J.A. Fair 1, Bryant 10. 2B—Garrett, Mayall. S—Garrett. SF—Mayall.
ip r er h bb so
J.A. Fair
Steward (L) 5 12 10 11 7 4
Bryant
Taylor (W, 2-0) 5 0 0 1 0 12
Balk—Steward 3. HBP—Clark (by Steward), Goodwin (by Taylor). WP—Steward 3. PB—Parker 2.
