Hornets’ first action in Florida results in 11-1 victory
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).
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Bryant Hornets outfielders Drew Tipton and Chase Tucker each had more hits than the Rosemount, Minn., Irish on Monday. With lefty Jason Hastings and right-hander Devin Dupree combining on a two-hitter, the Hornets opened their stay in Florida at the Tampa Bay Spring Training event with an 11-1 romp in six innings.
The game was made a run-rule victory when Bryant shortstop Trevor Ezell lined a shot over the centerfielder’s head and to the wall 400 feet away for a three-run inside-the-park homer run in the bottom of the sixth.
In addition, Dalton Holt had two hits including a triple as Bryant cracked 12 hits.
“We swung it well,” acknowledged Hornets coach Kirk Bock. “Ezell hit his ball like a golf ball, lined it over the centerfielder’s head. Nobody had a chance on that ball.
“Hastings threw real well,” the coach added. “He ended up with 30 pitches in three innings and Dupree came in and three good ones.”
Dupree needed just 32 pitches to finish it off, earning a save for three quality innings of relief.
The Hornets were scheduled to play again Monday afternoon against a team from Calgary, Alberta, Canada but it was rained out. Bock said they hoped to make it up later in the week.
The win improved Bryant to 7-2 on the season.
Rosemount, the 18th largest school in Minnesota with attendance over 2,000, is near the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
“They just haven’t played a lot,” Bock noted. “They threw a lefty in there that’s going to be good when he gets some time in. We were talking to the coaches from the other team from Minnesota (Eastview) and they said they’ve got a good program. They just haven’t been outside a whole lot. It’s just like us when we went to Texas (March 6-7).”
After Hastings eased through the top of the first inning on just eight pitches, the Hornets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the home half. Ezell was hit by the third pitch of the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on Tipton’s first hit, a liner to right for a single.
Tucker followed with his first hit, a single up the middle. The duo worked a double steal with Trey Breeding at the plate. Breeding then fouled off three straight pitches before taking a walk to load the bases. Connor Tipton came on as a courtesy runner for Breeding, the Bryant catcher.
Hastings made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly and, after Tucker and Tatum worked a double steal, Holt beat out an infield hit, scoring Tucker.
With two down, Brandan Warner’s grounder to short was booted but when Tatum tried to sneak home from second, the Irish threw him out at the plate to end the inning.
Hastings retired the side in order in the top of the second and the Hornets made a bid to add to the 3-0 edge when Korey Thompson walked, Tipton lashed a one-out double and Breeding drew another free pass, but they were stranded when Hastings fanned.
The Hornets had a pair of errors in the third but Hastings erased the first one by picking the runner off first. The second one was retired when Hastings speared a liner back to the mound and threw to first before the runner could get back for an inning-ending doubleplay.
Evan Lee drew a one-out walk in the bottom of the third and picked up the first of his three stolen bases but was stranded.
In the fourth, Dupree worked around a lead-off single and a walk. The lead runner was thrown out by Breeding trying to steal.
Tipton’s third hit, a single to left, started a four-run fourth. He swiped second but had to hold at third when it wasn’t immediately clear if Tucker’s shot to left would be caught. If fell for a double.
With runners at second and third, Breeding yanked a single into left for an RBI, advancing to second on a late throw to the plate. Tatum took over from there for the Hornet catcher. Tucker scored and Tatum went to third when Hastings got a sqeeze bunt down, making it 5-0. Tatum would come home on a passed ball before Holt’s shot to left for a triple. Lee singled him in to make it 7-0.
Rosemount’s first hit was a double to right to open the top of the fifth. The runner moved up on a grounder to Ezell at short and, after Breeding caught a foul pop, a passed ball allowed the unearned run to score before Dupree ended the inning with a strikeout looking.
The game went to the bottom of the sixth with Bryant up 7-1. And the first two batters of that inning were retired before Lee waited out a walk. He stole second and third before Justin Emmerling, in as a pinch-hitter, was struck by a 2-2 pitch. Thompson got a bunt down that went for an RBI single and when the ball was misplayed he hustled to second as Emmerling advanced to third.
That brought up Ezell who laid into a 2-0 delivery for the game-ending blast.
