Price’s clutch hit helps Sox stay unbeaten in league
DITOR’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 — Even before the Bryant Black Sox and Little Rock Post 1 Red AAA American Legion teams took the field at UALR’s Gary Hogan Field, Bryant coaches Craig and Tic Harrison had let their players know that Red third sacker Brian Clark liked to play deep. If you could get a bunt that way, you’d have a hit. Of course, the timing had to be right.
None of the Sox gave it a shot in the first couple of innings. Clark made a nice play on a tough grounder off Zack Young’s bat in the second. In the third, the Sox trailed 2-0 and mounted a rally. Then it came. Cory Lambert led off with a bunt that Red pitcher Brandon White had to scramble after. Though he got to it, he had to rush his throw and it was wide of first, allowing Lambert to get to second. Travis Queck followed with a bunt that was not only good enough to get Lambert to third, it went for a hit. And when Todd Bryan walked, the bases were juiced.
The Sox, who have worked hard on situational hitting of late to try to manufacture some more runs, executed at that point. Danny Riemenschneider stepped up first with a sacrifice fly to right that not only got the first run home but allowed Queck to take third and the speedy Bryan to tag and got to second. Queck’s tag, in particular, proved important when Aaron Davidson followed with another fly to right that allowed Queck to tag and score. Again, Bryan took advantage, as well, moving up to third with the potential go-ahead run.
With two down, Young drew a walk to bring up Daniel Price who, since coming back to play with the Sox after a freshman season of pitching at UCA, has developed into a key hitter and RBI man as well as pitcher for Bryant.
But Price had struck out on four pitches against White in the second inning so, despite the fact that there were two outs and runners at the corners, he decided to lay one down. White fielded it and threw him out to end the inning.
It wasn’t exactly what the Harrisons were looking for from their No. 5 hitter.
It stayed 2-2 until the fifth when Bryan singled with one out, took second on an errant pickoff throw and third on a grounder to the right side (just what was called for) by Riemenschneider. With two down, Davidson was hit by a pitch then Young walked to load the bases for — you guessed it — Daniel Price.
“I had to make up for something,” he laughed after the game.
And make up for it he did. Price blasted a 1-0 fastball to the fence in left-center, clearing the bases and giving the Sox a 5-2 lead that turned into a vital 6-2 victory in Area IV District play.
With the victory, the Sox improved to 6-0 in District games, 14-5 overall going into their annual trip to the Alton, Ill., Tournament of Champions. They have six league games left to play. On Thursday, July 7, they travel to Pine Bluff. The next night, they host Benton and, on Monday, July 11, they host Red. A doubleheader against Sheridan and a make-up game with Little Rock Blue loom down the line as the season enters the final few weeks.
“I didn’t bat much in college, so it took me a little bit to get it swinging, seeing live pitching again,” Price said of his improved hitting this season, including a home run in a game at the tournament in Mountain Home. “I feel like I’m seeing the ball pretty good now.”
To the tune of a .321 average, in fact. And his 15 runs batted in are tied with Davidson for the team.
The other story of the game was the continuing dominance of lefty James Leigh, who went the distance to improve to 4-0 on the season. Leigh, back after a season with Texarkana Community College, struck out 10 and worked his way around four walks. He allowed just four hits.
After working an easy first, Leigh ran into some trouble in the second. He gave up a single to Sullivan and unleashed a wild pitch. He walked the next two batters to load the bases. But he retired the next two batters and kept them jammed. The count went to 2-1 on lead-off man Evan Bettis who then lashed a single up the middle to bring home the game’s first two runs.
Bettis swiped second so there were two more in scoring position but Leigh got Nathan Hill to bounce out to Riemenschneider at second to end the inning.
After the Sox tied it in the top of the third, Leigh bore down and struck out four in a row. He only allowed two walks and one hit the rest of the game. One of those baserunners he picked off and another was erased in a doubleplay. He set down the last seven he faced.
“I just focused a little bit more like I’ve done in the past,” Leigh said of his reaction to the early struggles. “I realized what I was doing wrong and just worked on that out there during the warm-up pitches and started pumping strikes. It was mostly mechanical. The mound out there — my foot was kind of dragging and it was messing me up a little bit but I fixed it.
“My fastball was there all night,” he added. “They hit a couple but not any solid, solid hits, just little dunkers mostly.”
After Price’s big double gave the the lead, the Sox added a run in the sixth when Richie Wood lashed a triple to right-center and scored on Lambert’s bouncer to first.
The Sox had a scary moments in the bottom of the seventh when Clark lofted a 2-1 pitch high on the infield and shortstop Justin Wells and Riemenschneider both went for it. Riemenschneider went flying and landed awkwardly on his upper back. He was obviously shaken but waved off any assistance and returned to his position for the final two batters.
