Red-hot Black Sox AAA halts Express
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting 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 — For the second time in a week, the Bryant Bowen-Hefley Black Sox AAA American Legion team took on one of the state’s best teams and their pitching ace and came away winners.
Daniel Bennett and Anthony Rose combined to out-duel Little Rock Continental Express’ Josh Oliver as the Sox earned a 4-1 win, their fifth win in a row, Tuesday at War Eagles Field.
On Friday, the Sox bested fifth-ranked Sylvan Hills and their ace Blake Horsman.
Continental Express, which was the last team to beat Bryant back on May 23, came into Tuesday’s game ranked No. 9 by arkansasbaseball.com.
And the Sox, who may be ranked themselves this week, have more challenges ahead. They travel to Fort Smith for a tournament at WestArk Junior College. On Thursday, they play eighth-ranked Fort Smith Coke and, on Friday, they get a re-match with No. 2 North Little Rock O.J.’s.
Against Continental, Bennett allowed one run on five hits in five innings of work then Rose finished up with two innings of hitless relief for the save.
Bryant only managed four hits against Oliver and lefty Matt Turner, but with some aggressive baserunning and a pair of Express errors, scratched out the a 2-0 lead in the two opening innings. Rose then cracked his first home run of the season, with a man on in the third.
The Sox not only played errorless defense, they made some splendid plays. Three times center fielder Brandon Fitts robbed Express batters of extra-base hits with defused potential scoring threats. And shortstop Kris Kuykendall made a fine play in a critical situation with runners in scoring position in the fifth.
The Sox took the lead in the top of the first when Continental kicked the ball twice. The first error allowed lead-off man Billy Landers to reach base. He advanced to second when Kuykendall rolled out to first. J.J. Yant then singled to right-center to drive in the run.
Yant, the Bryant catcher headed to UALR on a baseball scholarship this fall, gunned down Eric Boen who tried to steal with one out in the bottom of the inning. Boen didn’t even get to his slide. The ball was waiting for him in second sacker Dustin Morris’ glove.
Bryan Scanlon followed with a drive to right-center that Fitts ran down, making a leaping catch short of the fence.
In the Bryant second, Fitts looped a double into right-center then took third on a passed ball. Breaking on contact, Fitts scored as Morris bounced out to second to make it 2-0.
A walk and a passed ball had a Continental’s Jeb Steen at second with one out in the bottom of the second. Brad Kelley skied one to right-center and again Fitts flagged it down, tumbling to the ground after making the grab. Steen tagged on the play and moved to third but was stranded when Stephen Oakley lined out to Fitts to retire the side.
In the third, Yant drew a one-out walk and aggressively advanced to second on bouncer to the right side by Logan Critz. A pitch later, Rose connected with an Oliver fastball and pulled it over the fence in left to make it 4-0.
Oliver hit Caldwell with a pitch then walked Fitts but got out of the jam with no further damage.
The Express threatened to score in the bottom of the inning when John Larmoyeaux beat out an single into the hole at short and Brad Henry bunted for a hit. But, with the top of the lineup due, Bennett retired the next three batters to keep the shutout intact.
Oliver only allowed one hit and just three baserunners after that. But Bennett proved to be just as tough. He issued a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fourth but the Sox turned a nifty doubleplay to end the inning.
In the fifth, Continental made its most serious bid to get back into the game and managed its lone run. Oakley singled up the middle then Larmoyeaux drilled one off the fence in center for a double. After a visit from manager Craig Harrison, Bennett settled in and got Henry to tap back to the mound.
Pinch-hitter Jessie Klein followed, however, with a solid single to left to drive in Oliver, who was running for Oakley, the dh. But a hard charge by left-fielder Billy Landers and a strong throw to the plate forced Larmoyeaux back to third.
Bennett fanned Boen on three pitches then Scanlon tapped one towards short that Kuykendall charged hard, fielded and got the out with a throw to first on the run to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Morris cracked a two-out double to right then Oliver hit Landers with a pitch but both were stranded.
Bennett walked Steen to open the bottom of the sixth and Harrison brought on Rose who retired the first two he faced on routine flies to the outfield. Pinch-hitter Prentice McCullom followed with a shot to the gap in right-center that seemed certain to fall in for extra bases. But Fitts, with a headlong dive, speared the ball just before it hit the turf, ending the inning.
After Turner came on to strike out the side in the top of the seventh, Rose used just nine pitches to set down the Express, striking out Klein to end the game.
Blake Horsman
I remember this week in my baseball career. I am open for a discussion around what baseball meant to us and how I have used it in my career.