Hornets notch first Florida win, 7-4, over Seminole Warhawks
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).
SANFORD, Fla. — The Bryant Hornets took advantage of 12 walks with some timely hits by[more] Hayden Lessenberry, Jordan Taylor and Chase Tucker on the way to a 7-4 win over the Seminole, Fla., High School Warhawks today.
The win improved the Hornets to 9-2 on the season, snapping a two-game slide. They wrap up pool play in the Florida League High School Invitational Tournament on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., against the Palm Beach Central Broncos of Wellington, Fla.
Jordan Taylor picked up the win on the mound with six innings of work. He fanned six, walked just one and scattered six hits. Wesley Akers worked the top of the seventh to pick up the save.
Bryant took control of the game with a five-run fourth, snapping a 1-1 tie. The inning began with walks to Marcus Wilson and Ozzie Hurt. Tyler Nelson followed with a tap back to the pitcher Alan Drake who tried to get a force but threw the ball away allowing Wilson to score and runners to advance to second and third. That brought up Lessneberry who stroked a 1-2 delivery for a two-run single, making it 4-1.
Courtesy runner Braden Jones advance to third on an errant pickoff throw and, after Taylor drew a walk and stole second, Josh Pultro drew a walk to load the bases for Dylan Cross. The team leader in being hit by pitches, Cross took one for the team once more, forcing in a run. A sacrifice fly by Tucker capped off the inning.
Taylor and the Bryant defense retired the Warhawks in order in the top of the fifth.
Warhawks reliever Taylor Morrison issued walks to Hurt and Lessenberry in the bottom of the inning but kept the Hornets from adding to their lead.
Seminole rallied in the top of the sixth. Taylor issued his lone walk to Daniel Fickas to start the inning. He was sacrificed to second by Jackson Baker then knocked home on a double by Kyle Gilbert. Drew Montero followed with a single on an 0-2 delivery to put runners at the corners. Montero stole second and Cole Walker singled in courtesy runner Darius Rush to make it 6-3. Walker and Montero then worked a double steal to plate the third run of the inning.
But Taylor kept it at 6-4 when he got Will Sutton to bounce to Hurt at second and David Sides to ground out to Nelson to end the inning.
The Hornets got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Cross was hit by a pitch again and, with Austin Caldwell in to run for him, Tucker belted a double. Caldwell scored from first to make it 7-4.
Akers was greeted by Ian Dailey’s single but Lessenberry threw Daily out trying to steal. Matt Richardson grounded out to Hurt at second then Fickas struck out to end the game.
The Hornets were held to five hits, two of them by Pultro. They took the lead initially with a run in the bottom of the first. Taylor had retired the side in order in the top of the inning then Nelson walked to start the home half. Lessenberry was hit by a pitch and Taylor singled in Nelson.
Pultro singled to load the bases but Drake got Cross on the shallow fly to center then induced a tap in front of the pate that Gilbert, the Seminole catcher, turned into a 2-4-3 doubleplay.
Taylor retired the side with little trouble in the top of the second then the Hornets were unable to take advantage of a walks to Trevor Ezell, Wilson and Nelson.
Seminole tied it in the top of the third. Taylor had struck out the first two in the inning but a single by Richardson, a stolen base and a throwing error on a grounder to short by Fickas produced the run. Taylor fanned Baker to strand Fickas at second.
