Sox rally to earn 30th victory
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).
JACKSONVILLE — The Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team notched its 30th win of the season but had to come from behind to do it on Friday, July 14, at Dupree Park.
Bryant scored six times in the top of the sixth to erase a 6-3 deficit and Cory Lambert and Justin Wells made it hold up for a 9-6 victory over Jacksonville Gwatney in the team’s final regular-season contest.
Bryant, the top seed in the Zone 4 Tournament which will be held in Bryant beginning Thursday, July 20, improved to 30-3. The Sox earned a first-round bye for the Zone tourney and will play at 3:30 on Friday, July 21, against the winner of Thursday’s first round game between Texarkana and Little Rock Blue.
The Sox are the defending Zone 4 and State champions.
A bunt single by Joey Winiecki instigated the sixth-inning rally. Danny Riemenschneider drew a walk, as did Justin Wells. After a pitching change, Aaron Davidson grounded into a force at the plate but Devin Hurt came through with an RBI single, Lambert drove in two with a double and Travis Queck beat out an infield hit to get another run home. Lambert scored on a balk to cap the inning off.
Lambert, the third Bryant pitcher, completed a run of retiring seven in succession with three in the sixth and one in the seventh. After surrendering a double, Wells came in to strike out the next two and earn his seventh save of the season.
Devin Hurt, Lambert, and Travis Queck each had two hits in the game. Lambert’s included a solo homer in the fifth.
Queck had walked, stolen his way to third and scored on a wild pitch to get Bryant on the board in the second inning.
In the bottom of the frame, however, Jacksonville scored four times to take the lead.
Aaron Davidson cracked a solo homer in the top of the third to get the Black Sox back within 4-2.
Drew Short came on to relieve starter Tanner Zuber and struck out the side in the third, stranding runners at first and second. In the top of the fourth, Casey Grisham belted a double, took third when Joey Winiecki reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch to make it a one-run ballgame.
But Gwatney struck for two more in the fourth on a double, a sacrifice, an RBI groundout then a solo homer to make it 6-3. Lambert’s homer with two down in the fifth made it a two-run game, setting up the game-winning rally in the sixth.
