AAA Sox eke out twinbill sweep at Texarkana
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TEXARKANA — There was just a little bit more intensity to the Bryant Blacksox AAA American Legion team’s Area IV doubleheader against the Texarkana Razorbacks than there was in their previous game.
After scoring 27 runs in a game that wouldn’t even deserve to be called a laugher at Cabot earlier in the week, the Sox managed just 4 runs in the twinbill at Joe Blagg Field, yet they won both games to improve to 6-0 overall this season, 3-0 against Area IV opponents.
Justin Wells, in his first outing on the mound for the Legion team this season, whirled an efficient four-hit shutout at the Hogs (3-6, 1-3), walking just one and striking out seven in the opener as the Sox won 2-0. In the nightcap, two-out hits by Aaron Davidson and Zack Young in the bottom of the eighth inning delivered a 2-1 win with Daniel Price picking up the win with a route-going performance on the mound in which he scattered 10 hits but forced Texarkana to strand 13 baserunners. He struck out 12, walked just one and hit a batter.
Wells only allowed two batters to reach base in the same inning the opening frame of game one. A lead-off single by Ryan Chavez, a walk to Ty Sheppard and a groundout put runners at second and third with two out but Wells got Aaron Marvel to fly to center to end the threat.
The Sox got on the board in the second when Richie Wood reached on a two-out error, swiped second and scored when Danny Riemenschneider’s drive to right was misplayed.
Wells surrendered a lead-off single in the bottom of the second but then retired nine in a row before giving up another lead-off hit in the fifth. He set down seven straight then worked around a one-out single in the seventh to finish off the win.
Bryant tacked on an insurance run in the sixth when Davidson drilled a one-out double and scored on Cory Lambert’s clutch two-out single to right.
Texarkana didn’t score in the second game until the fourth inning as Price forced them to strand six runners over the first three frames. In the fourth, a lead-off single by Dugan Ward made it four innings in a row that the Hogs had gotten their lead-off batter on. Cody Sutton grounded into a force at second but advanced on a wild pitch and stole third, scoring when Chavez reached on a two-out error.
Meanwhile, the Sox had been unable to take advantage of a lead-off double by Davidson in the second and a single by Travis Queck and double by Todd Bryan with one down in the third. After Price worked around an error (with Davidson throwing the runner out trying to steal), a double and a hit batsman in the top of the fifth, the Sox tied it in the home half. Riemenschneider opened the inning with a two-bagger but was thrown out trying to score on a single by Queck. On the throw to the plate, Queck advanced to second drawing an errant throw that allowed him to take third. He scored on Bryan’s bouncer to second.
Price worked his only 1-2-3 inning in the sixth then worked out of two-on, two-out jams in the seventh and eighth.
Bryant had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh when Riemenschneider singled and tried to score from first on a two-out double by Bryan. Again, however, he was thrown out at the plate, keeping it knotted at 1.
Texarkana reliever Brett Hughes retired the first two he faced in the eighth but Davidson doubled and Young came through with a game-winning single.
The Sox’ game with Stuttgart on Monday, June 6, was rained out after an inning. They are set to play in a prestigious tournament in Oklahoma City on Thursday, June 9, with games at 6 p.m. against the Dallas Wildcats and 9 p.m. against the Oklahoma Bandits. On Friday, pool play continues at 1 p.m., against the Wichita Gators and at 7 p.m. against Edmond, Okla., Santa Fe, a team that reached the American Legion World Series last season.
