Little things add up to win over Bruins
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
SHERWOOD — In a game that didn’t matter between two teams that do, a little hustle made all the difference.
Bryant Black Sox’ lefty Cory Lambert and Sylvan Hills Bruins’ righty Zack Ray were locked in a pitchers duel at Kevin McReynolds Park on Wednesday, July 11. Bryant had eked out the only run of the game in the first inning, manufacturing it on the speed of Todd Bryan and some basic execution.
Bryan had walked to open the game and sprinted to second on a short passed ball. With no one out, the Sox needed to get him to third so a sacrifice fly (or any number of things) could get him home. Travis Queck, moved up into the No. 2 spot in the lineup for the game, came through with a groundball to the right side.
That brought up Aaron Davidson and when he hit a grounder to short, it was enough for the speedy Bryan to get home on.
It was still 1-0 going into the fifth and, again, Queck stepped up with one of the little things that have had him in the lineup for most of the second half of the season. With one out, he struck out on a high curve ball from Ray. Catcher Mason Seelinger didn’t handle the pitch cleanly, however, and it ricocheted about 15 feet away. Usually, that’s no problem for a catcher to round up and throw to first for the out but Queck was going full out to first. Seelinger realized it, rushed his throw and was off-target. Queck was on.
No big thing on the face of it but what followed made it one of the turning points in the game. Davidson lined a single to right and Queck cruised to third. And, a pitch later, Zack Young fought off a pitch on his fists and muscled a looper into left center that fell for an RBI single and a 2-0 lead.
As it turned out, that was the decisive run as Bryant went on to a 2-1 victory, with Lambert going the distance for the win, in a game between two State championship contenders.
The lefty, who didn’t issue a walk in the game, gave up eight hits but forced the Bruins to strand eight. He picked off a baserunner to make up for Bryant’s only error and the Sox ended the game with a doubleplay.
Sylvan Hills’ lone run came in the bottom of that fifth inning. Chase Elder doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Payton Seelinger. But Lambert worked around a two-out single in the sixth. In the seventh, he gave up a lead-off infield hit then had a battle with Elder who was 2-for-3 and was on base three times in the game. Lambert finally struck him out then got Brandon Eller to ground into the game-ending doubleplay.
Ray was just as tough after Bryant got its second run. Young’s RBI single was the last hit for the Sox as he set down the last eight he faced.
