Sox take different roads to earn twinbill sweep
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
The Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team used different routes but captured both games of an Area IV District doubleheader with the Sheridan Yellowjackets on Thursday, July 14.
In the opener, the Sox only managed two hits but took advantage of six walks and four Sheridan errors and eked out a 3-2 win. In the nightcap, they racked up 14 hits to outscore the Jackets 10-5.
The victories insured the Sox at least a tie for their fourth straight regular-season District championship. At 27-6 overall and 10-1 in league play, the Sox faced a showdown with Little Rock Post 1 Blue on Friday, July 15, needing a win for the undisputed title (see related story).
Cory Lambert smacked a single off the glove of Sheridan first baseman Chase Buie with one out in the bottom of the sixth to tie the first game of Thursday’s twinbill. It would’ve remained tied too if not for the speed and hustle of Richie Wood. With Justin Wells who, like Zack Young earlier in the inning, had walked at third after Lambert’s single, Wood hit a grounder to short. Lambert was forced at second and Sheridan second sacker Cody Kindy relayed to first trying to end the inning with a doubleplay. But Wood beat the throw at first and Wells scored to give Bryant a 3-2 lead.
James Leigh, Bryant’s starting pitcher, had allowed two runs on just five hits. He’d walked one, hit two and struck out five. When he issued his second walk to start the top of the seventh, Wells was called on to relieve.
After a sacrifice bunt by Bubba Tuggle, Sheridan’s hard-luck pitcher, Wells struck out the next two to end the game and earn the save.
A run in the first on a two-out RBI single by Aaron Gray had Sheridan leading early. Bryant tied it in the third when, with two out, Todd Bryan and Danny Riemenschneider walked ahead of an RBI single by Aaron Davidson.
Sheridan regained the lead in the fifth on an RBI single by Tyler Bone.
In the nightcap, both teams scored twice in the first. Bryant, the visitor in their own park because the twinbill was standing for a home-and-home series, got its first run when Bryan singles, stole second, advanced to third on a grounder by Riemenschneider and scored on a sacrifice fly by Davidson. Zack Young followed with a double and Cory Lambert singled him home to make it 2-0.
But a two-run homer by Carmillo Vannucci in the bottom of the inning tied. And Sheridan took a 4-2 lead in the third on an RBI double by Chase Buie, who then stole third and scored on a wild throw.
Bryant answered with a four-run fourth. With one out, Wells beat out an infield hit, Casey Grisham slapped a hit and run single to right and Richie Wood rifled a base hit up the middle to plate a run. Josh Groves was trying to sacrifice Grisham and Wood to second and third and got a great bunt down. Bone, the Sheridan third baseman, raced in to grab it but threw wildly to first. Both Grisham and Wood scored and Groves wound up at third. He scored from there moments later on a groundout by Bryan, making it 6-4.
Sheridan chased Davidson, the Bryant starter, with three straight hits with one out in the fifth, cutting the lead to 6-5. Grisham relieved and got big support from his defense. Wells made a great play on a grounder to short by Vannucci then Lambert made a splendid scoop of a throw in the dirt at first for the out. Grisham then struck out Gray to end the inning with runners at second and third.
Wood lashed a triple to open the next half inning. Groves brought him home with a double down the left-field line. Bryan singled Groves to third then Riemenschneider’s infield hit got him home. Bryan and Riemenschneider worked a double steal and Young made it 9-5 with a sacrifice fly.
Grisham worked around an error in the bottom of the sixth and the Sox added a run in the top of the seventh. Grisham doubled, tagged and went to third on Wood’s long fly to right then scored on Groves’ bouncer to short.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tuggle ripped a liner to right that Wood sprinted in and caught with a dive. Grisham gave up singles to Bone and Vannucci but struck out Buie between them and ended the game by fanning Gray.
