File photo by Kevin Nagle
LITTLE ROCK — Star lefty Evan Hiatt had struck out 12 and allowed just five hits but the Bryant Hornets had scrapped their way to two runs and were even with Hiatt and the Catholic Rockets in a 7A-Central Conference battle at Lamar Porter Field on Tuesday.
The Rockets snapped the tie on a two-out RBI single off the right-field fence by J. Matt Rogers in the bottom of the fifth. Hiatt struck out the side in the top of the sixth and the game went to the seventh with Catholic clinging to a 3-2 lead.
The Hornets’ Jake Wright earned a walk, the first that Hiatt had given up then Gage Stark got a bunt down that catcher Will Plafcan threw wildly to first. Though the Hornets wound up with runners at second and third, the lead was saved by Rockets’ second baseman Eric Moll who was backing up first. Otherwise, the ball would’ve ended up down the right-field line and the speedy K.J. Merriweather, in as a courtesy runner for Wright the Bryant catcher, would’ve scored.
With the infield in, Hiatt came back to strike out Matthew Sandidge but issued a free pass to Brandon Hoover.
So, the Hornets had the bases loaded and one out. And, with 107 pitches under his belt, they had chased Hiatt off the mound. Right-hander Matthew Gephardt relieved to face two of Bryant’s hottest hitters, Myers Buck and Logan Chambers.
Buck, who had already come through with a two-out RBI single to tie the game, struck out, however. And Chambers, who had struggled with Hiatt as a left-handed batter and surely welcomed the softer-tossing righty Gephardt, worked the count to 3-2 before hitting the ball well to left center only to have Catholic centerfielder Jordan McCuin track it down to end the game.
It was the fifth one-run loss this season for the Hornets, who dropped to 17-6-1 overall. They’ve also won three one-run games. The Rockets, surging since Hiatt returned from an injury after spring break improved to 5-4 in the conference, a game behind the Hornets who, at 6-3, now trail Conway (9-0, after Tuesday’s 8-4 win over North Little Rock) and Cabot (7-2, after eking out a 5-4 win at Fort Smith Southside Tuesday), with both coming to Bryant over the next three weeks.
The Hornets are hoping to get one of the top two spots in the conference and the first-round bye at State that goes with it. They travel to Little Rock Central on Friday.
Hiatt, good enough to not need any help, got some anyway on Tuesday with a wide strike zone. Bryant’s Logan Grant started and induced groundball after groundball. Unfortunately, too many of them found holes in the second inning and a couple of wild pick-off throws didn’t help.
He pitched around a pair of groundball singles in the first, helping himself by fielding a sacrifice bunt attempt and getting a force at second.
In the top of the second, the Hornets got on the board but didn’t maximize the opportunity. Austin Ledbetter led off with a double inside the bag at third. Wright singled up the middle to send Ledbetter to third and, when the throw missed the cutoff man and came all the way into the plate, Wright sprinted to second.
Hiatt came back to strike out the side but, along the way, Plafcan’s passed ball allowed Ledbetter to score. Merriweather took third but was stranded.
In the bottom of the second, John Satterfield grounded a single up the middle with one out then Myles Montgomery slapped a grounder into right for a single that put runners at first and third.
With nine-hole hitter Chris Gray at the plate, Grant tried to pick off Montgomery but his throw to first was errant and Satterfield scored to tie the game. Montgomery went to third and, a pitch later, scored on Gray’s bouncer up the middle to make it 2-1.
Hiatt made that hold up until the fifth while Greinier relieved for Bryant and shut down the Rockets over the next two innings without allowing a base-runner.
There was one out in the top of the fifth when Sandidge swatted a single to left. With Hoover up, Sandidge took off for second as Hiatt threw over to first. Rogers, the first baseman, started to throw to second but dropped the ball and Sandidge was safe there. He moved to third on Hoover’s tapper in front of the plate.
That brought up Buck, who was looking to extend a hitting streak to five games. On Hiatt’s second pitch, he lashed a liner to right for a game-tying RBI single.
But, in the bottom of the inning, Catholic untied it. Gray became the first base-runner against Greiner when, on a 1-2 pitch, he was struck. McCuin was out on a tap in front of the plate but Gray moved to second. Greiner struck out Moll then Hiatt was walked intentionally to bring up Rogers, who was 0 for 2. On an 0-1 delivery, Rogers cracked a drive to right that got over the head of Buck to the base of the fence.
Gray scored and Adam Stewart, in as a courtesy runner for Hiatt, tried to as well, but Buck got the ball back into the infield in time to nail Rogers at second before Stewart could get home.
So, it remained 3-2.
After Hiatt fanned the side, Greiner retired the Rockets in order as well, setting up the gut-wrenching finish.
