The first time the Little Rock Central Tigers played the Bryant Hornets this season, lefty Luke McKnight shackled the Hornets for five innings holding them to two runs on one hit. The Tigers scored in the bottom of the fourth to make it 2-1 and there was some concern for the league-leading Hornets.
But Bryant broke the game open with a three-run sixth on the way to a 7-2 win at Central’s Buddy Coleman Field.
On Friday, McKnight was back on the bump to start for the Tigers as they made the return visit to Bryant. But the result was way different as the Hornets erupted for eight runs in the second inning, piling up a 10-0 lead on the way to an 11-2 victory.
The teams dodged raindrops to get the game in. A break between waves of harder rain enabled them to get in the contest with an early start at 3:30 p.m. Had the game been rained out, there were plans for the Hornets to play at Little Rock Southwest on Monday then come home to play Central late.
Garret Wilson picked up the win on the mound for the Hornets, who improved to 10-1 in the 6A-Central Conference as they maintained a two-game lead over Cabot. They’re 19-2 overall.
Colby Morrow retired five out of six to close out the game, working around a two-out error in the seventh.
The Tigers, who have struggled since challenging the Hornets back on April 1, dropped to 6-16 overall and 3-8 in league play, trying to catch Fort Smith Northside for the sixth seed to the 6A State Tournament in Fort Smith. They play at Cabot and Conway next week.
Noah Davis and Logan White each had two hits for the Hornets. Davis had an RBI double and a solo homer. White, making his first start in the outfield, had two singles and two walks. Ryan Riggs was on base three times. He was hit by a pitch twice, singled and came through with a sacrifice fly to cap the eight-run blitz in the second.
Riggs singled to start the game and stole second. Davis drove him home with a double inside the bag at third. Austin Ledbetter plugged the gap in left-center for an RBI double and it was 2-0.
Conner Martin walked and, with two down, so did J.T. Parker, loading the bases. But McKnight got out of the jam with no further damage.
After the Hornets turned a doubleplay to erase a lead-off walk to Matthew Holmes in the first, they set down the Tigers again in the second as Wilson worked around a one-out walk. He fanned the next two.
Bryant’s big second began with White’s first single. Riggs was plunked by the very next delivery. Davis got a sacrifice bunt down and when McKnight fielded it and threw it past first, both White and Riggs scored. Davis wound up at third.
Ledbetter’s sacrifice fly made it 5-0.
A walk to Turner Seelinger revved up the carousel again. Martin was hit by a pitch then Wilson helped his own cause with an RBI single to left. A walk to Parker filled the sacks again.
This time, Lawson Speer delivered, yanking a two-run single to left.
White’s second knock of the inning drove in Parker before Riggs’ sac-fly made it 10-0.
Central eked out a run in the top of the third. Jules Weinheimer beat out an infield hit then McKnight walked. Holmes sacrificed them to second and third then Rod Gaines’ got a bunt down to squeeze in Weinheimer.
After Luke Lorence walked, the Tigers tried to work a double steal. Riggs fired to Davis, the shortstop covering second. Davis returned the throw in time for McKnight to be tagged out at the plate to end the inning.
Nikko Masters relieved McKnight in the third and held the Hornets pretty well over the last four innings. He worked around walks to Parker and White in the fourth then gave up Davis’ blast to start the fifth. In the sixth, Parker singled but was picked off first. Speer was struck by a 1-2 delivery then White walked, and Riggs was plunked to fill the sacks with two out.
After a visit from his head coach Landon Moore, Masters got the final out on Davis’ pop to Holmes at third.
Meanwhile, the Tigers scored again in the fourth. After two were retired, Josh Rowe singled up the middle. Malcolm Battle followed with a bouncer to third that drew a wild throw to first. Rowe came around to score and Battle wound up at third. But Davis made a sweet play on a chopper over the mound off Weinheimer’s bat, throwing to first in time to retire the side.
Wilson pitched around a one-out double by Holmes in the fifth. With one out in the sixth, Sam Collier-Tenison and Rowe went oppo for consecutive singles.
Bryant head coach Travis Queck brought in Morrow. He fanned Battle then got Weinhiemer to line to Ledbetter at second.
In the seventh, Gaines’ grounder to third produced an errant throw with two down. But Morrow got Lorence to fly to Speer in center to end the game.
