ROGERS — The Bryant Hornets scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to snap a 1-1 tie and complete a sweep of two games against 6A-West Conference teams at Veterans Park on Friday.
The big inning made the Hornets a 7-1 winner over the Springdale Bulldogs after they drubbed the Rogers Heritage War Eagles, 18-3, in five innings.
Bryant improved to 5-0 this season going into a game at White Hall on Tuesday, March 9.
Hornets 7, Bulldogs 1
Freshman Gideon Motes tossed three shutout innings of relief after Springdale tied the game 1-1 in the fourth.
Noah Davis greeted Cooper Combs, the third Springdale pitcher, with a triple after fouling off three two-strike pitches. Combs walked Austin Ledbetter. Turner Seelinger tried to squeeze Davis in from third, but his bunt was fielded by Combs who threw to the plate in time for the out.
With runners at first and second, Connor Martin beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Motes was then hit by a pitch allowing Ledbetter to score the tiebreaking run.
With two out, Blaine Sears’ tap in front of the plate was fielded by the Springdale pitcher who threw wildly to first allowing all three runners to score, making it 5-1.
With Sears at third, Lawson Speer drew a walk. With Speer running from first, Ryan Riggs lined an opposite field single. Speer never stopped and scored to make it 7-1.
Motes struck out two in the bottom of the seventh to close out the sweep.
Tyler Bates started for the Hornets and blanked the Bulldogs until the third inning.
The Hornets had taken a 1-0 lead on Springdale starter Clay Van Vacter in the opening inning. Singles by Davis and Ledbetter with one out set the table for Seelinger, who slapped a single to right to drive in the run.
Bates pitched around a pair of walks in the bottom of the first by striking out the side.
J.T. Parker and Sears led off the top of the second with singles but, in between, Parker was thrown out trying to steal. Though Sears swiped second, Van Vacter and the Bulldogs got off the hook.
In the bottom of the third, Bates fanned the lead-off hitter but walked Caleb Horsey. A balk sent him to second. Horsey went to third when Jake McCool grounded to the right side for the second out. Van Vacter helped himself with an RBI single.
Martin doubled to open the fourth then Motes drew a walk. The Bulldogs turned an unusual 6-4-5 doubleplay. So, with Parker at first, Sears singled to left and Speer walked to load the bases. But Van Vacter got Riggs to fly out to right to end the threat.
Bates fanned the first two he faced in the home fourth but then surrendered a single to Van Vacter. Logan White relieved and induced a comebacker but the ball was misplayed and both runners were safe. Kyle Langford blooped a single to center to load the bases for Horsey, who grounded to Ledbetter at short for a force at second to end the inning.
Davis singled again to lead off the fifth and, though Martin drew a two-out walk the Hornets stranded two.
Motes relieved in the bottom of the fifth and set down nine in a row to close out the game.
Davis had three hits in the game. Martin and Sears each had two.
Bryant 18, Rogers Heritage 3
The Hornets erupted for 14 runs in the top of the second inning and amassed an 18-0 lead before Heritage got on the board in the bottom of the fourth.
Seven War Eagles pitchers issued a whopping 17 walks and hit eight more.
Seelinger had two of Bryant’s five hits.
Will Hathcote pitched four innings allowing two runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Drew Hatman pitched the fifth.
Bryant’s big inning started with one-out walks to Parker, Sears and Speer to load the bases. Riggs singled in two. Courtesy runner Jordan Knox stole second and when the ball got away from the Heritage shortstop, Speer scored. Knox wound up at third. He scored when Davis grounded out to short.
A walk to Ledbetter kept the inning going.
Heritage starter Parker Morris gave way to Brady Laird and Seelinger greeted him with a single to left. Martin was plunked on a 1-1 pitch to fill the sacks again. A walk to Motes forced in a run to make it 5-0.
That’s when Parker delivered a three-run triple.
Walks to Sears and Speer loaded the bases and a walk to Riggs made it 9-0. Davis was hit by a pitch to bring Sears in, and Heritage made another pitching change.
Laiten Hall hit Ledbetter to keep the merry-go-round going. Knox, in for Riggs, scored on a wild pitch. Seelinger singled in Davis and walks to Martin and Motes made it 14-0.
Quentin Edwards led off the War Eagles’ second with a single, their first hit. But for the second win in a row, the Hornets turned a doubleplay to end the inning.
Brady Walker took over on the mound for Heritage in the top of the third. With one out, he struck Speer with a 1-0 delivery. Gavin Burton walked then Kyler Pabon drew a free pass. Colby Morrow’s sacrifice fly made it 15-0.
A lead-off walk to Ethan Martin started the bottom of the third but Carson Jackson lined back to Hathcote, who doubled off Martin for Bryant’s third doubleplay.
Martin and Parker each walked while Knox and White were hit by pitches to force in the 16th run. Speer’s sacrifice fly made it 17-0. Burton’s sacrifice fly capped the scoring.
Hathcote walked Cole Richardson to start the bottom of the fourth. Tyler Jouett singled. A passed ball allowed runners to move to second and third before Jeb Brown struck out. Edwards short fly to left fell in as both Richardson and Jouett held. But Dillon Cooper drew a walk to force in a run. When Hunter Royal grounded into a force at second, another run scored to make it 18-2 before Hathcote finished his outing with a strikeout.
Against Hatman, Samuel Matson singled with one out and, with two down, Jouett tripled to make it 18-3. Brown flew to Speer in center to end the game.
