A Black Sox end skid with 8-7 win
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Matt Lewis scored on an infield single with the bases loaded by Jackson Mosely with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Bryant Black Sox A American Legion team snapped a four-game skid with a thrilling 8-7 victory over the Sylvan Hills Bruins Monday, June 4, at Ashley Park.
The Sox improved to 7-6 going into Wednesday’s home game against Oxford Printing of Little Rock.
Bryant, which had led most of the game, trailed 6-3 going into the bottom of the fourth but rallied for two in the fourth and two in the fifth to take the lead. Sylvan Hills pushed across a tying run in the top of the seventh to set up the dramatic finish.
Lewis led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left-center. After Clay Jones bunted him to third, intentional walks were issued to Cody Graddy and Kevin Littleton to load the bases, setting up a force at any bag. But Mosely foiled that strategy by bouncing one to the right of the Sylvan Hills second baseman who fielded the ball with a diving attempt but could not get a throw home in time as Lewis scored the winning run.
Littleton, the fourth Bryant pitcher of the game, picked up the victory in relief.
The Bruins had tied the game in the top of the seventh off the Bryant right-hander, taking advantage of a pair of lead-off walks. After a force at second for the first out of the inning, a single plated the tying tally and put runners at first and second with one out. But Littleton got out of the jam after that, setting up his team’s winning rally.
Bryant took the lead initially with a two-run home first in support of starter Chance King. Matt White singled to start the game but was forced at second on a grounder by Cody Dreher. Lewis followed with a home run to left-center.
A solo homer to lead off the second cut the lead in half but the Sox got that run back in the third when White singled, stole second and third and scored when Graddy’s two-out grounder was misplayed.
A pair of two-run homers in the fourth sparked Sylvan Hills’ surge into the lead before Yant, the third Bryant hurler, got out of the inning with the help of a pickoff play that nailed a runner at third.
In the bottom of the fourth, John Hensley singled to right with one out then cruised home on a two-out, two-run homer by White to make it 6-5.
Yant pitched around an error and a walk in the top of the fifth to set up Bryant’s go-ahead rally. Lewis and Jones initiated the uprising with singles. With one out, Littleton’s base hit plated the tying run. Mosely then grounded into a force at second that allowed Jones to come home with the go-ahead score.
White and Lewis each had three hits in the game and Jones had two for the Sox.
