Bryant AAA earns berth in title round before ouster
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).
MOUNTAIN HOME — After losing their first game in the annual Twin Lakes Classic for the first time in the last 10 visits then watching the team that beat them win again, the Bryant Blacksox AAA American Legion team didn’t hold out much hope of making their usual advancement from pool play to the championship round. But, with some good pitching and a little help, the Sox snuck in as the wild card when the 28-team field was whittled to the winners of the seven pools and the wild card for the title tournament.
That, however, was where they were eliminated right off by the eventual tourney runner-up Dunklin County, Mo.
The Sox (now 10-5) suffered the opening loss to Belton, Mo. (near Kansas City), 5-4 on Thursday. But came back to slug Harrison, 8-0, on Friday and edge St. Louis Brentwood, 3-2, on Saturday before losing 3-0 to Dunklin County.
Bryant was scheduled to return to regular-season action on Wednesday, June 22, against Area IV rival Pine Bluff.
Belton, Mo. 5, Blacksox 4
GASSVILLE — In the opener, the Sox rallied from a 5-0 deficit and had the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the seventh and Aaron Davidson, the team’s leading hitter at the plate. But Davidson smacked a 3-1 pitch right at the Belton shortstop for a game-ending doubleplay. Davidson, hustling down the line, narrowly missed beating the relay from second. If he had, the game would’ve been tied.
As it was, the Sox out-hit the Angels 11-7 but they stranded 14 baserunners. The frustration began right out of the gate. After starter Daniel Price worked around a single and a hit batsman in the top of the first, Bryant loaded the bases in the home half. Todd Bryan walked and Danny Riemenschneider was hit by a pitch to start things off. Davidson followed with a fly to shallow center that was dropped. But because the baserunners were forced to hold up, Bryan was thrown out trying to advance to third after the ball fell.
Still, Casey Grisham followed with a walk that loaded the bases. They stayed that way, however, when Belton right-hander Tommy Coovert struck out Zack Young and got Richie Wood to pop up.
Belton took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third on a walk, a run-scoring double and a two-out single on an 0-2 pitch that was too sweet.
In the bottom of the frame, Riemenschneider cracked a double and Davidson reached on an error. After a wild pitch put runners at second and third, Coovert again wriggled off the hook. Grisham popped out then Young and Wood struck out.
In the fourth, a one-out single by Cory Lambert, who was 3-for-4 for the Sox, and a two-out double by Bryan went for naught when Coovert got Riemenschneider to pop out.
And Belton scored three unearned runs in the top of the fifth, taking advantage of a freak play that rewarded bad baserunning. Kyle Tormanen opened the inning with a single and stole second. Coovert followed with a hard grounder to Justin Wells at short. Tormanen took off for third and Wells whipped a throw that way for what figured to be a sure out. But the throw hit the baserunner and ricocheted past Young at third. Tormanen scored and Coovert wound up at second. Courtesy runner Ryan Robertson swiped third but Price retired the next two batters.
But Price walked Jacob Tupper on four straight pitches and was pulled in favor of Bryan. Tupper swiped second as Bryan got the first strike in on Brandon Purtle. His next pitch, however, was slapped down the right-field line for a two-run double that made it 5-0.
The Sox rallied in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of the short fence in left field that had seemingly taunted them all game. Davidson’s shot off the third baseman’s glove started the inning. An out later, Young blasted a homer to left-center. Two pitches later, Wood belted a solo shot to make it 5-3.
The inning continued with singles by Wells, Lambert and Bryan to produce the fourth run. But Coovert retired Riemenschneider to strand the potential tying and go-ahead runners in scoring position.
In the sixth, Belton reliever Travis Hulbert issued one-out walks to Grisham and Young but got out of the jam when Wood and Wells hit liners right at Angels defenders in right and short.
Bryan worked around a single and an error in the top of the seventh, setting up the Sox’ last gasp. Lambert opened the bottom of the inning with a single. Devin Hurt got down a sacrifice bunt on a two-strike pitch. Bryan and Riemenschneider were each hit by pitches to load the bases for Davidson, who came into the game hitting a blazing .618 this season. The count went to 3-1 before he hit it on the nose but, again, it was right at ’em.
Bryant 8, Harrison 0
Lefty James Leigh pitched a two-hit shutout in a six-inning win that included 14 Bryant hits, nine of which were for extra bases.
Leigh struck out 12 and walked just three in those six frames. He retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. In the fourth, he surrendered his second walk before Guy Brown slapped a single through the right side of the infield for the first hit. Spencer Schuh grounded into a force at third but a walk to Eric Tennyson loaded the bases with one out. Leigh proceeded to get out of the jam by striking out the next two.
Harrison would have only one other baserunner. In the sixth, Brown doubled with one out but was stranded. That came moments after a splendid sprawling catch by Wood of a short pop to right field by John Viehmann.
By then, the Sox were in control of the game. They took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning when Davidson clubbed the first of eight doubles by Bryant batters. He scored on a single by Grisham.
In the second, Young singled and stole second but had to hold at third on Wood’s double because the Harrison outfielder made a bid to catch it. But Lambert followed with a two-bagger, the first of his three hits in the game.
It stayed 3-0 until the bottom of the fourth. After Leigh got out of the bases-loaded jam, the Sox added three more runs. A one-out single by Wood and a hit-and-run double by Lambert plated the first run. Price followed with his first Legion home run to make it 6-0.
A two-run double by Bryan in the bottom of the sixth ended the game, a run-rule win.
Bryant 3, St. Louis Brentwood 2
Heading into Saturday’s action, the Blacksox knew their only hope to advance to Sunday’s championship round would come via the wild card scenario. Fortunately for them, the tie breaker formula used to determine the wild card team was least runs allowed, and the Blacksox were in the running. Pine Bluff had given up three runs, Bryant five, Brentwood six and Olathe, Kansas eight.
As such, the Sox needed to defeat Brentwood without allowing many runs, and needed at the least Olathe to defeat Pine Bluff, or to score several runs against them.
With the goal in hand, the Sox sent lefty Grisham to the mound to face Brentwood. Through the first three innings, Grisham allowed only a walk in the first and a single in the second. Meanwhile, the Sox had the first scoring opportunity in the top of the second. Wells and Young led off with walks. Wells was forced at third on Wood’s sacrifice bunt attempt, but Lambert loaded the bases when his ground ball to first was misplayed. In a theme that has haunted the Sox through the first 10 games, Price’s line drive was speared by the Brentwood second baseman who, in turn, threw to second to double off Wood, leaving the Sox with no runs despite a golden opportunity.
The Sox jumped on top in the third, though. Bryan opened the inning with a double into the left center field gap. Riemenschneider sacrificed him to third, and Davidson drove home Bryan with a ground out to shortstop.
Grisham ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing a lead-off double to Brentwood center fielder Scott Van Slyke (son of former St. Louis Cardinal outfielder Andy Van Slyke). Van Slyke scored immediately on a single by catcher Matt Kramer, tying the score 1-1. Sox manager Craig Harrison called on Justin Wells to stop the rally, but the Missourians took the lead after a sacrifice bunt and two wild pitches.
The Sox tied the game in the fifth without a hit. Price and Bryan walked, and Riemenschneider was hit by pitch. Davidson’s short fly to center was misplayed by Van Slyke and the Brentwood shortstop, allowing Price to race home.
Bryant took the lead for good in the sixth. Wells walked, was sacrificed to second by Young, and advanced to third on an infield single by Wood. Lambert’s grounder to first moved Wood to second, but did not score Young. However, Brentwood pitcher Dan Corwin flinched before his first pitch to Price, and the balk allowed Young to trot home and the Sox led 3-2.
With the lead, the Sox relied on Wells to close the game. The righty responded, allowing no runs and no hits with five strikeouts over the final three innings and the Sox prevailed 3-2. Meanwhile, Olathe defeated Pine Bluff 9-2, allowing the Sox to advance.
Dunklin County 3 Bryant 0
The Sox sent lefty Lambert to the mound to face Dunklin County, an American Legion team from southeast Missouri. Lambert responded in fine fashion, working five-plus innings and allowing only one unearned run on six hits. However, his teammates were not able to give him support, as Dunklin County lefthander Ryan Branum tossed a three-hit shutout to defeat the Sox 3-0.
Dunklin County took the lead in the second. An opening error followed by a single, a sacrifice and a run-scoring groundout gave Dunklin County the only run it would need.
In the third, the Sox attempted to tie the game. Travis Queck received a one out walk, and Bryan followed with a single to left. Riemenschneider was hit by a pitch, and the Sox had the bases loaded with only one out. Davidson hit a short fly down the left field line that was caught by the Dunklin County left fielder, and Queck was thrown out at the plate, leaving the Sox scoreless. Bryant would not have another runner reach third base on the day.
In the meantime, Dunklin County added two insurance runs in the seventh, one on a wild pitch and one on a two-out home run by Ellis Dent.
Bryan, Davidson and Lambert had the only hits for the Sox, who fell to 10-5 on the season. Dunklin County advanced to the championship game (defeating Searcy 15-7 in the semifinals) but lost to West Plains, Mo.
