Bryant AAA edges Pine Bluff to stay unbeaten in league
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
Hitting in the clutch, particularly against other AAA American Legion teams, has been a struggle for the Bryant Blacksox this season. But, on Wednesday, June 22, they finally got one.
Manager Craig Harrison was no doubt trying to hold off the déjà vu when the Sox loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. It had been just about a week earlier that his team, trailing Belton, Mo. 5-4, had loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the final inning only to come up empty, resulting in a loss in which the team stranded a whopping 14 baserunners.
This time, the Sox were facing an Area IV District rival, Pine Bluff Simmons First Bank. The game was tied at 2 going into the bottom of the eighth after Pine Bluff had eked out two runs to tie in the sixth. Todd Bryan, who was on base three times in the game instigating two run-scoring uprisings, opened the eighth with a sharp single to left. On a hit-and-run, Danny Riemenschneider followed with a lined single to right to put runners at the corners. After a pitching change, Aaron Davidson was walked intentionally to load the bases.
That brought up Zack Young who was 0-for-3 to that point in the game. But Young knuckled down, worked the count to 3-2 then fouled off a trio of pitches before getting one he liked. His drive to right-center fell well beyond the Pine Bluff outfielders, giving the Sox a crucial 3-2 win.
It was a win that kept Bryant unbeaten in league play at 4-0 and improved them to 11-5 overall this season.
Lefty James Leigh picked up the win in relief of starter Daniel Price who deserved a better fate than the no decision. Price and Pine Bluff starter Justin Webb were both spinning gems early on. Webb waded through the Bryant batting order the first time around without allowing a baserunner. He struck out five of the nine he faced.
With Harrison and his assistant/brother Tic urging the Sox to be more aggressive since Webb was around the plate so much, Bryant finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the fourth. Bryan instigated things with his team’s first hit, a single to left.
After failing to get a sacrifice bunt down, Riemenschneider slapped an 0-2 pitch into right-center. When the throw back to the infield was kicked around, Bryan sprinted to third and he was able to score when Davidson grounded into a doubleplay.
In the fifth, Cory Lambert singled with one out and Price helped himself with a double to right-center. When that ball was bobbled in the outfield, Lambert scored to make it 2-0.
Price, meanwhile, had shackled Pine Bluff, shutting them out on four hits through five innings and not surrendering a single walk.
The sixth inning should’ve been another scoreless frame but a two-out error extended the inning. Price issued his first (and only) walk to start the inning but pinch-hitter Matthew Johnson was forced out at second on a nifty play by second sacker Devin Hurt and shortstop Justin Wells. Zack Hale was then hit by a pitch, however.
With runners at first and second, Price got Cory DeJarnette to pop out to Wells then got two quick strikes in to Tye Throneberry who then rolled one meekly to short. Wells charged and made a nice pickup. His throw to first, however, was dropped and the bases were loaded.
Clayton Dill followed and, again, Price got within a strike of getting out of the inning unscathed but Dill, after fouling off a pair of tough deliveries, slapped a 2-2 curve into center to tie the game.
Leigh relieved and got Logan Kizer to ground into a force out to end the inning with it deadlocked.
Leigh wound up retiring all seven batters he faced.
