Hornets run-rule A&M Consolidated at Waco tourney
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).
WACO, Texas — Even on their annual trip to Texas, the Bryant Hornets baseball team was dogged by inclement weather. Rain washed out Thursday’s action at Midway High School.
But they finally got to play on Friday morning. Against the A&M Consolidated Tigers of College Station, Texas, the Hornets took advantage of 12 walks with nine hits and won 14-4 despite eight errors.
Trey Breeding who had two hits, joined Jake East, Jason Hastings, Brandan Warner and Evan Lee each had run-scoring singles as part of Bryant’s nine-hit attack. Blake Patterson doubled in a run.
Lee picked up the win on the mound. Over four innings of the five-inning contest, he allowed four runs, all unearned, on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Dylan Hurt pitched a scoreless fifth, allowing a single.
Bryant scored in every inning. The Hornets grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Drew Tipton walked and stole a base. Hastings drew a free pass then they worked a double steal. After Tipton scored on a passed ball that allowed Hastings to take third, Patterson drew a free pass. Warner followed with the first hit for the Hornets, a single to left to make it 2-0.
Another double steal set up Breeding’s RBI single to left.
After Lee worked a 1-2-3 second that included a nice play in left by Blaine Knight, the Hornets tacked on. Tipton, who scored four runs in the game with only one official at-bat, drew a free pass with one out. With two down, he swiped second. Lee walked.
Tipton stole another base and when the throw to third was errant, he scored. Seth Tucker, the courtesy runner for the pitcher, advanced to second but was stranded.
A&M picked up its first run in the top of the third on a trio of Bryant errors. Lee fanned two and picked a runner off base in the inning.
The Hornets answered with a six-run uprising that started with a single by Breeding and a walk to Knight. Connor Tatum, trying to sacrifice, beat out a bunt single to load the bases for East, who smacked a two-run single to right.
Once again, Tipton drew a walk and the bases were loaded for Hastings who drilled a single up the middle to drive in two, making it 8-1. Tipton scored on an errant throw that allowed Hastings to wind up at third. He scored on Patterson’s double to right to cap the inning.
Three unearned runs scored for A&M in the top of the fourth but Bryant got all three back in the home half. Tatum drew a one-out walk, swiped second and, after East drew a free pass, a double steal put runners at second and third. Tipton reached when he was struck by a pitch, loading the bases for Hastings, who walked to force one in.
Lee followed with a shot to deep right. East scored easily. Tipton, who had tagged at second, made it to third but held up. Hastings rounded second with the intent of taking third but held up when he saw Tipton stopping. A&M tried to throw behind Hastings but he got back. Meanwhile, Lee had rounded first and got caught in a rundown. Tipton raced home and Lee got back safely on a late throw to the plate.
Up 12-1, the Hornets got through the top of the fifth behind Hurt. They made it a run-rule win in the bottom of the frame when Hurt singled, Tatum sacrificed Tucker, in as a courtesy runner, to second. Garrett Misenheimer shot a single to center but Tucker was unable to get home, holding up at third. With two down, Hastings hit a grounder to third that was booted allowing Tucker to score the game-ending run.
Bryant, now 4-0, was set to play again this afternoon against the host team, Waco Midway.
