NORTH LITTLE ROCK — It was uncomfortably familiar on Thursday night when the Bryant Hornets took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth and the opposition made a bid to come back. On Tuesday, the Hornets led Little Rock Catholic 2-0 when the Rockets, despite getting just one hit in the game, rallied for four runs and came away with a 5-2 victory, pinning the first 6A-Central Conference loss on Bryant.
This time, the Hornets were at DeJanis Stadium against the North Little Rock Charging Wildcats and they held on for a 3-1 victory.
Bryant hosts Little Rock Central on Friday at 3:30 p.m. The game was moved up in hopes of avoiding the storms expected in the evening hours.
North Little Rock came into Thursday’s game fresh off a 15-3 thumping of Conway, the second-place team in the league.
Lefty Aiden Adams had pitched a one-hit gem through four innings. The fifth began with an error as Chance White reached base. Jaylon Johnson got a bunt down to get White to third. Adams fielded the ball and took a glance at third before throwing on to first when, on a bang-bang play, Johnson was ruled safe.
So, just as had been the case on Tuesday, runners were at the corners with no one out. Adams, making his first start of the season, issued a walk to nine-hole hitter Wesley Bird, loading the bases.
Enter Bryant closer Will Hathcote, who allowed a sacrifice fly to Jaedon Willis that made it 2-1. Johnson tagged on the play and went to third which turned out to be crucial.
The only division of baseball in which it’s still legal for a pitcher to fake a pickoff throw to third base then whirl and throw to first is high school baseball. Hathcote used that tactic with Trevor Flake at the plate. The result was Bird getting picked off first for the second out of the inning.
Flake then muscled a humpback liner towards shallow right field that looked like it was going to tie the game. But second baseman Austin Ledbetter made a diving catch as he ran away from the infield to end the inning in spectacular fashion.
“First, let me say, that team on the other side, it doesn’t matter what they look like; it doesn’t matter what they played like early on in the season. It does not matter,” declared Hornets head coach Travis Queck. “That team right there, North Little Rock, you’re going to have to beat them. They’re going to be tough. They’re going to get those kids to fight and that’s a testament to that coaching staff.”
It was the first time the Hornets had played North Little Rock in baseball since May 10, 2019. At the Class 6A State Tournament, the senior-laden Hornets, riding a 26-5 record overall and a 13-1 march through the Central conference for a league title, were stunned by the Cinderella Charging Wildcats, 9-6, in 10 innings. North Little Rock went on to become the first team with a losing record to capture a State championship.
That definitely came to mind for Bryant during preparations for the game.
“Our guys knew the challenge ahead, especially the seniors, living through two years ago,” said Queck. “They didn’t want to see that happen again and that was part of our discussions the last two days. ‘We’re going to have to earn it. We can’t give them anything. And we have to be tougher because, in the moments, they’re going to be tough.’
And that, the coach said, was the key to the victory. “Being tough, mentally tough,” he declared.
“We made the plays,” he acknowledged. “That’s critical. (Against Catholic), I thought our guys were trying to win the game and we just didn’t execute in certain situations. We were trying to make a play. Sometimes that happens. We’ve got to learn. We’ve got to talk through things, and I thought, tonight, that’s what came into play.
“It was kind of the same situation for Will going out there, bases loaded and nobody out,” Queck related. “And both times, he did his job. I’m proud of him and I’m proud of the whole team.”
While Catholic defeated the Hornets on Tuesday despite getting just one hit, this time, Bryant won despite managing just two hits, both singles. One by Ledbetter and the other, a clutch RBI single with two down in the top of the fifth by Lawson Speer.
The Hornets took a 1-0 lead in the first against North Little Rock’s ace Brody Bunting. He hit Ryan Riggs to start the game. Jordan Knox came in as a courtesy runner for the Bryant catcher and, when he stole second, it drew a wild throw from catcher Jordan Kelly. Knox went on to third and, when Noah Davis grounded out to short, he scored.
Ledbetter followed with his single but was stranded at first.
Bunting would pitch an error in the third and another in the fourth.
Meanwhile, Adams retired the side in order in the first then worked around a lead-off single by Bunting in the second. Caleb Bryant grounded into a force at second then Adams picked Bryant off of first. He fanned Kelly to end the inning.
In the third, Adams issued a pair of one-out walks to Johnson and Bird. But he got Willis to fly to shallow left and, after he struck Flake with an 0-2 pitch, he got Gage Sorenson to foul out to Conner Martin outside of third to keep it 1-0.
North Little Rock was set down in order in the fourth as Adams needed just eight pitches.
With one out in the top of the fifth, Garret Wilson worked a walk, the first issued by Bunting. He stole second on a controversial play. North Little Rock head coach Randy Sandifer felt like the tag of Johnson, the second baseman, had beaten Wilson’s slide into second. But the protests were to no avail.
As Blaine Sears was striking out, Bunting unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Wilson to take third with Spear coming up. Bunting got behind in the count 2-1 before Spear laced a single through the left side to drive in Wilson.
Riggs made a bid at an extra-base hit as he lined one into the gap in left-center, but Willis sprinted over from left field just in time to rob him.
That set up North Little Rock’s threat in the bottom of the fifth.
There was more controversy in the top of the sixth as Bryant tried to add an insurance run. Noah Davis had drawn a lead-off walk. Another wild pitch allowed him to take second. With one out, Tucker Seelinger hit a deep fly to left-center that Caleb Bryant ranged over from centerfield to flag down. Davis tagged and went to third but, upon appeal, it was ruled he left second too soon. The umpires did not make it clear if the catch had been made by Bryant in deep left-center so Davis may have been trying to score, assuming a hit.
Nevertheless, the Cats were fired up. Facing the middle of the order, Hathcote set down the side despite a one-out walk to Bunting. He fanned two.
In the top of the seventh, Martin was hit by a pitch with one down. Wilson hit a slow roller to the right side that Johnson charged. His throw, however, was errant and wound up in the dugout. At first, Martin was allowed to score, and Wilson was awarded third base, which would’ve been the proper call. The rule states that, when a throw goes into the dugout, each runner is awarded the base they’re running towards plus one.
But North Little Rock’s coaches protested and got a split decision, which cost Bryant another run.
Martin was allowed to score. He had rounded second and was heading to third when the ball went into the dugout. Wilson, who had reached first and was headed to second, should’ve been at third but the umpires decided to send him back to second.
So, basically, one of the runners got the base he was going to plus one and the other didn’t.
That proved important when Sears belted a long fly to center that would’ve served as a sacrifice fly had Wilson been at third.
As it was, he tagged and went to third but was stranded there as Bunting ended the inning with his sixth strikeout.
In the bottom of the seventh, White yanked a double inside the bag at third, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Johnson tapped back to Hathcote as pinch-runner Kale McMahan went to third.
And he got no further as Hathcote ended the game by striking out Bird then Willis.
