T.Wood returns to shutout Diamonds
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
LITTLE ROCK — Almost 30 games into the 2004 American Legion season, ace left-hander Travis Wood had only pitched in five games for the Bryant Black Sox AAA team. Oh, he’d pitched more than that this summer what with his stint at showcases like the Perfect Games camp in Tampa, Fla., and the Junior National trials in Joplin, Mo. But going into his start on Wednesday, July 7, against the Little Rock Post 1 Diamonds at Curran-Conway Field, Wood had pitched just 15 innings, going 2-0 in his two starts and picking up saves in a pair of relief appearances.
In those 15 innings, Wood had struck out 40 and allowed just four hits, a trend he continued against the Diamonds when he struck out 14 while pitching a two-hit shutout in the Sox’ 3-0 win.
Bryant retained sole possession of first place in Zone IV with the victory over second-place Little Rock as the season entered its final two weeks. The Sox improved to 23-5 overall, 7-1 in the league.
Wood struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced. The only glitch was a two-out double by Jon Ashworth in the first inning. That run ended when A.J. Hughes singled with two down in the third but he was picked off by Wood to end that inning.
In the fourth, Wood hit a batter and walked one but then struck out the side. He then worked around a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fifth.
But Little Rock’s right-hander Derek George was just about as effective as Wood, if not as dominant. George had Bryant shut out on just one hit — a two-out single by Richie Wood in the second — through five innings. He had walked four and struck out five.
In the top of the sixth, George recorded his sixth strikeout then issued his fifth walk to Jeff Carpenter. Justin Wells followed with a foul fly down the left-field line that appeared to be headed out of play. But Diamonds’ third baseman Chris Isom banged up against the fence, reached over and snagged the ball nearly wrenching his arm. Alertly, however, Blacksox first base coach Tic Harrison had Carpenter tagging up on the play. So when Isom recoiled from the hit, he had to try to get a throw to second. It wasn’t in time as Carpenter slid in safely.
That tag-up proved crucial moments later when Wood hit a grounder to third. Isom had to rush the throw and it sailed just beyond the reach of first baseman Andrew Taylor. Carpenter was able to sprint home as Wood reached second and Bryant led 1-0.
In the bottom of the inning, Nick Smith drew a lead-off walk but Wood got Ashworth to pop to Wells at short then Chris Davis grounded to Wells, who started a 6-3 doubleplay to end the inning.
In the seventh, Bryant finally began to find its hitting stroke. Cory Lambert pulled a one-out single into right. With two down, Dustin Easterly cracked a double into the corner in left. Todd Bryan followed with a bouncer to Taylor’s right at first. But Taylor booted the ball and Lambert scored to make it 2-0. A pitch later, Carpenter slapped an RBI single to right to set the final score.
