Photos by Kevin Nagle
There were lights blinking on the Bryant Hornets Field scoreboard Tuesday night and it wasn’t because there was anything wrong with it.
Drew Tipton (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
There’s only space for single digits where the runs scored in each inning are listed on the scoreboard so when a team scores 10 or more in a frame, the first digit alternates with the second digit. For instance, in the Hornets’ 12-run first inning against the Little Rock J.A. Fair War Eagles Tuesday night, the spot where the runs were listed alternated between a 1 and a 2.
And, in the third, a 1 and a 1 alternated indicating the 11 runs the Hornets scored in that frame.
In four at-bats, the Hornets piled up 26 runs on 15 hits, taking advantage of five errors, eight walks and two hit batsmen while right-hander Zack Jackson tossed a one-hit shutout against the War Eagles, who have been struggling for many years in baseball.
The win improved the Hornets to 2-1 in the South Conference, tied with their next opponent, the Sheridan Yellowjackets, who absorbed a 6-2 loss to league-leading Benton Tuesday. The Hornets-Jackets game is at Sheridan on Friday.
Jackson walked a batter in the first and gave up an infield single on a slow roller to short in the fourth. Those were the lone base-runners for the Fair. Nine of the War Eagles’ 15 outs came on strikes.
Bryant’s Zack Jackson, left, delivers a pitch. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Offensively, the Hornets were led by Chase Tucker who had a single, a double and a triple, driving in two runs and scoring three times. Drew Tipton and Jason Hastings added two hits each. Tipton drove in four and Hastings knocked in three.
Bryant coach Kirk Bock replaced all of his starters, starting in the bottom of the third. The second line of players finished off the 11-run third and added the final two tallies in the bottom of the fourth.
Jaquan Smith pitched the whole game for Fair, throwing a whopping 128 pitches.
The opening blitz started with Smith striking Trevor Ezell with a pitch. Tipton lined a double to the corner in left to chase in the first run. Tucker’s RBI single made it 2-0.
Trey Breeding walked then Hastings hit a grounder to third that Demarian Bankston fielded. But when he tried to tag the on-coming base-runner, Tucker evaded him and coasted into third.
Jason Hastings (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
With the bags full, Dalton Holt hit a grounder to short. Fair got a force at second as Tucker scored. Justin Emmerling ripped a two-run single to left, making it 5-0.
Brandan Warner walked and, with two down, Ezell did as well, setting the stage for Tipton’s second double of the inning, which cleared the bases. Tucker doubled him in then Breeding doubled to make it 10-0.
Connor Tatum, running for Breeding, sprinted home on Hastings’ first hit then Holt capped the inning with a triple.
Fair held the Hornets to one run in the second. Korey Thompson, who reached on an error, stole second and took third on a wild pitch, scored on Ezell’s sacrifice fly.
Tucker ignited the onslaught in the third with a triple to the gap in left-center. After Breeding walked, both scored when Hastings laced a double to right.
With one out, Emmerling’s grounder to third was misplayed allowing Hastings to score. With two down, Thompson singled him in.
The reserves took over from there. Jake East walked and Evan Lee’s pop fly was dropped allowing Thompson to score. Logan Allen was struck by a pitch to load the sacks again for Dylan Hurt who lined a two-run single to center.
Austin Kelly kept the carousel going with a single that was misplayed in right. Allen and Hurt scored. And with Kelly at second, Blake Patterson cracked the third triple of the game. He would score to make it 24-0 on a wild pitch as C.J. Phillips was drawing a walk.
Tatum singled, East reached on an error, Lee walked and Allen reached on an error to produce a run. Kelly’s sacrifice fly completed the scoring.
In two conference games so far, the hapless War Eagles has now been outscored 48-0.
Justin Emmerling (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
