Offensive woes continueto plague AAA Blacksox
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).
ALTON, Ill. — In years past, if the Bryant Blacksox AAA American Legion team had reached the dog days of the baseball season, their annual trip to the Tournament of Champions in Alton, Ill., near St. Louis, brought them out of their slumps and pulled them together whether they won the prestigious event — and they have a couple of times — or not.
The jury’s still out on that for the 2004 Sox as they split four games in two days at the tournament and missed advancing to the championship tournament despite defeating the eventual champion during pool play.
The Sox opened pool play on Thursday, July 1 with a 2-1 loss to the Jefferson County Blazers out of the St. Louis area but came back that evening to bounce the host team 8-0. On Friday, Bryant put itself in position to advance by edging Evansville, Ind., 2-1, but that afternoon a 1-0 loss to Florissant, Mo., ended their stay.
Obviously, except in the Alton game, the Sox continued to struggle at the plate, although it didn’t help that this year for the first time, the tournament was played with unfamiliar wood bats.
Manager Craig Harrison indicated that, after the first loss, he was encouraged by the way the team performed in the two victories, particularly in their enthusiasm and focus. But the final contest, he said, was disappointing because those elements just weren’t there even though a bid for the championship was on the line.
The results left the Sox 22-5 on the season going into a four games with a trio of Zone IV rivals beginning with Little Rock Blue at Curran Conway Field on Wednesday, July 7, and a home date with Benton on Thursday, July 8. The Sox were set to host Monticello for a twinbill on Sunday, July 11.
District Tournament play looms on July 22 in Pine Bluff. The Sox currently lead the league with a 6-1 record.
Florissant, Mo. 1, Bryant 0
In Alton, Bryant managed just five hits in their two losses, only one in the final loss. In fact, they were held hitless through six innings. Justin Wells finally broke up the no-hitter with a single to lead off the top of the seventh.
The Sox’ only threat to score came in the second when Cory Lambert and Zack Young drew two-out walks but both were stranded. The only other baserunner in the game was Todd Bryan, who walked with one out in the third but was erased on a doubleplay.
James Leigh was the hard-luck loser. In five innings, he only allowed three hits, walked two and struck out six.
The lone run (and two of those hits) came in the third. The run scored on a fielder’s choice that might have been an inning-ending doubleplay but for an off-target throw that prevented a relay to first.
Daniel Minton worked the sixth inning for Bryant and pitched around a one-out single and a passed ball.
Bryant 2, Evansville, Ind. 1
Evansville, which eventually won the tournament, absorbed its only loss as Bryant right-hander Daniel Price held them to four hits.
It took Price only 78 pitches. He ended the game by retiring 15 batters in a row. Evansville’s last baserunner came off a lead-off single in the third. He walked one and struck out four.
The lone run came in the second off a lead-off triple and a single.
Bryant had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the inning. Scott Peeler led off with a single but was forced at second on a grounder to third off the bat of Jeff Carpenter. But Lambert followed with a triple to chase Carpenter home. He then scored on Richie Wood’s groundout to short.
Bryant 8, Alton, Ill., 0
Justin Wells pitched a three-hit shutout and Carpenter went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in Bryant’s most impressive offensive game. The Sox produced 10 hits in the game. Peeler had two.
In five innings, Wells walked three and struck out 10. Alton managed to get only two baserunners past first. In the first, a walk, an error and a stolen base put a runner at third but he was stranded. In the fifth, a one-out single and a two-out walk put runners at first and second before Wells ended the threat with a strikeout.
After leaving the bases loaded in the second, Bryant took the lead in the third when Carpenter walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout by Wells before scoring on a single by Peeler.
In the fourth, Wood led off with a double and swiped third. After a one-out walk to Andrew Moseley, Todd Bryan smacked a single to drive in Wood. Carpenter followed with a triple to chase two home. He scored moments later on a sacrifice fly by Wells to make it 5-0.
The Sox made it a run-rule win in the bottom of the fifth. Dustin Easterly singled, Wood walked and Zack Young doubled both of them home. With two out, Carpenter singled in Young with the game-ending tally.
Jefferson County 2,
Bryant 1
Jefferson County snapped a 1-1 tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth. With one out, a hit batsman was followed by two of the Blazers’ five hits in the game. A two-out single loaded the bases but Lambert, the hard-luck loser, got out of the inning with a grounder to Wells at short.
Bryant’s lone run came in the first when Carpenter singled and scored on a double by Wells, who wound up at third on the late throw to the plate. Peeler walked but he and Wells were stranded when the next two batters were retired.
After that, the Sox were held to just two hits. Their best opportunity to score again came in the fourth when Josh Groves reached on an error with two out and Young followed with a single.
In the sixth, Wood walked with one out and swiped second only to be stranded. In the seventh, Young led off with a walk and a steal but got no further.
Lambert shut out the Blazers through three innings but a lead-off triple and a third-strike passed ball with two down tied the game, 1-1.
