AAA Sox power past Conway
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 continueposting 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).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Cody Graddy, Matt White and Beau Hamblin each hit three-run home runs to power the Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team to its 10th win in its last 11 games, a 13-3 romp over the Conway Prudential Hawks Realty Rockies at Ashley Park Tuesday night.
It was the team’s seven straight win going into a make-up doubleheader against District rival Arkansas Trailer of Little Rock on Wednesday.
Michael McClellan improved to 5-2 with the victory on the mound. McClellan worked six innings allowed three runs on seven hits while fanning nine and walking five. Matt Lewis pitched the seventh.
The game, originally a planned doubleheader, was supposed to go nine but the Sox ended it early with the 10-run lead after seven innings.
The slugging began early. Graddy’s three-run shot — the 11th of the season for the 16-year-old catcher-outfielder — highlighted a four-run first for the Black Sox.
Tad Beene opened the inning with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and third on a single by Dustin Morris. And when Morris’ hit was bobbled in right, Beene came on home.
With two down, Conway starter Brian Schuck issued walks to Anthony Rose and Hamblin to set up Graddy’s blast.
McClellan worked around a two-out single in the first. In the second, he walked Josh Curry with one down before J.D. Stone slapped a double to right. With runners at second and third, McClellan fanned Mark Hickey and Schuck to leave them.
In the bottom of the first, Sean Sebourn drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a tap to first by Beene and hustled home when Morris’ grounder to short drew a wild throw.
It stayed 5-0 until the fifth when Jared Vestal looped a double to right for Conway. An out later, he took third when Josh Flemming grounded into the hole at short. Beene, the Bryant shortstop, made a tremendous play in the hole and throw to first to get the out and he appeared to have a bead on a second hit-robbing play when Clay Coates followed with a grounder up the middle. But a bad hop prevented Beene from gloving the ball and the resulting single put Conway’s first run on the board.
McClellan kept it at that by striking out clean-up hitter Kirby Mize for the third time in the game.
Bryant responded with an eight-run fifth ignited by White’s three-run jack which followed singles by Hamblin and Chris Sory. Beene walked, Morris singled and McClellan drew a free pass to load the bases and Rose came through with a two-run single to right-center. A pitch later, Hamblin creamed one over the left-field fence to make it 13-1.
Conway managed to score twice in the bottom of the inning to threaten the run-rule result. Shane Cauthen walked, Curry singled then Stone ripped one up the middle to bring in a run. Hickey sacrificed the runners to second and third then pinch-hitter Jacob Glover drew a walk to load the bases. Mathew Moix cracked a single up the middle to make it 13-3 and Stone tried to follow Curry home. But White, in center, charged the ball and fired home to nail him as Hamblin, the catcher, held on after a swipe tag.
That took the edge off the Rockies’ rally. McClellan collected himself and fanned Flemming to end the inning.
In the seventh, Lewis surrendered a single to Coates and a one-out walk to Cauthen before striking out Curry and ending the game by getting Stone to fly to left.
