Sweep at Woodlawn runs AAA Sox’ streak to four
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
WOODLAWN — The Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team had to be prepared for a snake pit Tuesday, June 13, when they visited Woodlawn. It was a return match, a doubleheader like the one the two teams engaged in at Bryant’s Ashley Park back on May 21.
Not exactly like that previous twinbill, it was hoped, because that one ended ugly. Woodlawn was forced to forfeit the second game after cat-calls from the dugout about the umpires resulted in the entire bench getting tossed out of the game.
It was not a happy scene. One of the parents from Woodlawn got into a shouting match with one of the umpires as they headed to the dressing room. There was shouting, a bump or two — it did not go well.
So, the Sox had to figure it would be taken out on them when they visited Woodlawn.
However, against Woodlawn’s ace lefty Jeremy Allred, the Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first two innings and went on to win the opener 7-3 behind a fine pitching performance by Beau Hamblin.
The nightcap, which was supposed to be a five-inning game, wound up going just three and ending with a run-rule win for Bryant, 11-0.
For the night, Bryant blasted six home runs including one in each game by catcher Cody Graddy and two in the nightcap by Anthony Rose.
The wins gave Bryant, 10-5, a four-game win streak and five wins in six games going into the prestigious Twin Lakes Lockeroom Classic in Mountain Home, a tournament that features teams from Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois and Oklahoma — 20 teams in all. Bryant was set to open pool play Thursday, June 15, against Olathe, Kansas. On Friday, they were to meet Texarkana, Texas before a final pool game on Saturday against Kirkwood, Mo.
In the first game Tuesday against Woodlawn Boatmen’s Bank, the Sox sprung for three in the opening inning. Matt White scored the first run after drawing a lead-off walk and racing to third on a double by Dustin Morris. Allred unleased a wild pitch and White scampered home. Michael McClellan singled in Morris.
An out later, Hamblin singled. McClellan reached third when Tad Beene grounded into a force at second. With two down, Graddy delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0.
After Hamblin worked around an error and walk in the bottom of the inning, the Sox tacked on another tally. Sean Sebourn walked, swiped second and scored on Morris’ second hit of the game.
Allred, who wound up striking out 11, settled in for a couple of innings after that and his teammates got back into the game on a three-run homer by Tyler Cash in the bottom of the third.
But Allred couldn’t keep it close. In the fifth, McClellan blasted a solo homer and Graddy drilled a two-run shot. Hamblin had reached on an error prior to Graddy’s blast.
Hamblin walked just one and hit one while striking out seven and scattering seven hits in going the rout. He was assisted by some good defense. In the fourth, he surrendered a lead-off single to Josh Smith, but Graddy, the Bryant catcher, gunned him down trying to steal. Beene, the shortstop covering second on the play, did a great job of digging the ball out of the dirt and applying the tag.
In the fifth, Matt Henley led off with a single for the Bankers but the Sox turned a 4-6-3 doubleplay.
Hamblin worked around an error in the sixth. In the seventh, another error allowed Cody Allison to reach base. Brian Stover singled then Henley hit a grounder to McClellan at first. McClellan threw to second for a force but the return throw to Hamblin, trying to cover first to complete the doubleplay, was wild. Allison scored.
But Hamblin kept it from getting closer by retiring the next two to end the game.
In the abbreviated nightcap, the Sox unloaded on Allison, the Woodlawn starter. Rose, Hamblin and Graddy each smacked first-inning homers.
The first run of the game scored after White led off with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a wild throw. Morris doubled him home then scored on Rose’s blast. Two pitches later, Hamblin cracked a solo shot and, after Beene reached on an error, Graddy bombed his second of the night to left-center.
In the second, Morris ripped his second double, McClellan beat out an infield hit and Ryan Sanders singled in a run.
Sanders was one of three pitchers the Sox used in the game and he picked up the win, working two hitless innings, though he walked four in the third and needed help from Graddy, who picked off lead runner Ben Boyd, and relief help from Morris who got the last two outs with the bases loaded.
The Sox had expanded the lead in the top of the third on a grand slam by Rose, off the scoreboard in left. White, who had reached on a fielder’s choice after Chris Sory had walked, along with Morris and McClellan who had each walked, were on the bases when Rose unloaded.
