Junior Black Sox ride five-run uprisings to doubleheader sweep
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).
The second time through . . .
In both ends of their second doubleheader in as many nights, the Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant struggled at the plate, the first time through the line-up against Centerpoint Knights starters Dylan Hudson and Caleb McSwain on Thursday night.
In each case — in the fourth inning in both games — the Sox got their timing down and put together five-run innings that sent them on their way to victories.
In the opener, right-hander Jordan Gentry needed just 72 pitches to go the full seven innings of a four-hit shutout, an 8-0 Bryant win. In the nightcap, Drew Brown battled for five innings and squelched a Centerpoint rally in the top of the final inning as the Sox held on for a 5-4 win.
“Drew did a good job. Jordan too; seven innings, only 72 pitches — that’s great,” acknowledged Everett coach Tyler Brown. “We were out of pitching. We only threw two guys. They both threw complete games so it was even better than I expected.”
The Sox have now played 12 games in the past eight days. They welcome a weekend off. Now 17-5 on the season, they’ll return to action on Monday with a twinbill against Arkadelphia.
Gentry helped his own cause in the first game with two hits including an RBI triple, one of a trio of three-baggers in the game for Bryant. Beaux Bonvillain and Jake East also had two hits. East knocked in a pair with a ground-rule double into the left-field corner with the bases loaded in the fourth.
In the second game, the Sox were held to just four hits but, coupled with eight walks and two errors, were able to make the most of them. Diego Vargas, Cameron Coleman and Logan Allen each singled in a run during the big fourth-inning outburst.
“Obviously when you get two wins it’s always a good night for baseball,” Tyler Brown said. “I thought the focus was there. All the way around, I thought it was a good team effort.”
Bryant Everett 8, Centerpoint 0
Gentry and Hudson dueled in the opener. Gentry didn’t give up a hit until Gipson Burrows doubled inside the bag at third to lead off the fourth inning. He’s worked around an error in each of the first two innings. In the first, a liner to East at second resulted in an inning-ending doubleplay.
“We’ve got to keep getting better defensively,” stated Brown. “If we can eliminate the errors, we’re going to be real tough to beat come District and State. And that’s what we want. Last year, we won the first State championship in our Junior program’s history. We’re going for back to back and for us to do that we have to come out here every day and keep getting better in all phases of the game.”
In the third, Hudson drew a lead-off walk, was sacrificed to second then stole third but was stranded when Gentry retired the next two.
After Burrows’ double in the fourth, David Banda sacrificed him to third. And when Gunner Williams hit a fly to Aaron Orender in left, Burrows tagged and tried to score only to have Orender throw him out at the plate to keep the game scoreless.
Hudson, meanwhile, retired the first eight Centerpoint batters before East singled to center with two down in the third. Though he was stranded, the Sox benefited from Connor Tatum’s lead-off single in the bottom of the fourth. Garrett Misenheimer and Gentry followed with back-to-back RBI triples. Misenheimer plugged the gap in right-center and Gentry ripped his to left-center.
With one out, Orender was hit by a pitch then Bonvillain singled in Gentry to make it 3-0. The count went to 2-0 on Coleman and lefty Kirk Schildgen came on to relieve. He completed the walk and the bases were loaded for East, who drilled the two-run double to make it 5-0.
The Sox turned another doubleplay in the top of the fifth to wipe out Gentry’s second walk. In the sixth, the right-hander pitched around a one-out single by Montana Carden.
Three insurance runs were added in the bottom of the sixth. Bonvillain beat out an infield hit and scored on a triple by Coleman. East walked and stole second then, after another pitching change, Allen plated a run with a sacrifice fly and Tatum picked up an RBI with a groundout, making it 8-0.
Though the Knights managed a pair of singles in the top of the seventh, Gentry was able to close it out, getting Schildgen to bounce out to Tatum at second to end the game.
Black Sox 5, Knights 4
Bryant trailed 2-0 until the five-run fourth. In the top of the fifth, Hudson doubled to ignite a Centerpoint rally. He moved to third when Brown got Schildgen to tap to second. Carden followed with a liner to left that Orender charged in and caught with a dive. Hudson tagged and scored to make it 5-3.
It was a one-run game after Owens singled and McSwain drilled a triple. With two out and the tying run at third, Tyler Brown went to the mound to talk to his right-hander and it looked like there might be a change. But he stuck with him and Drew Brown came through by getting Williams to ground out to Vargas at third to end the game.
“I just told Drew to relax,” Coach Brown related. “I said, ‘You’ve got to be able to throw a breaking pitch for a strike to get that guy out.’ I told him to have a little fun. Make them earn it, more than anything. No walks; make them hit that guy in rather than walking a guy in.
“And he threw the breaking pitch and the guy rolled over on it. He did exactly what I said so that was good to see.”
The Knights took the 2-0 lead in the opening inning. Carden singled then Owens bounced to second. The try to get a force resulted in an errant throw and, moments later, McSwain singled in a run.
Brown struck out Williams but Dayton Pate singled down the line in left to drive in the second run. On that play, McSwain held at second realizing that it was Orender making the play in the corner. But Pate kept coming around first, thinking double. Both momentarily occupied second base which should’ve resulted in an out but it went unnoticed. But the Sox ran down Pate for the second out of the inning. Chance Crews grounded out to end the inning.
McSwain walked Misenheimer and Drew Brown in the bottom of the first but kept the Sox off the board. Both pitchers retired the side in order in the second.
Allen robbed Carden of a hit on a sinking liner to center as part of the 1-2-3 third for Brown. McSwain walked East but threw a doubleplay ball before Tatum lashed Bryant’s first hit, a single to center.
A diving stop by Vargas helped keep Centerpoint from mounting much offense in the fourth. Crews followed with a single but Brown got Devin Horn to fly to Coleman in right to keep it 2-0.
A one-out walk to Orender started the Bryant fourth. A wild pitch allowed him to take second and, when Noah Easterling hit a roller out in front of the plate, McSwain heard a teammate say to go to third with the ball as Orender broke from second. His throw was errant and the Sox had runners at the corners.
Owens came on to relieve and wound up not retiring a batter. Vargas greeted him with an RBI single up the middle. Wild pitches brought Bonvillain, running for Easterling, around to score. With Vargas at third as a result, Coleman singled up the middle to make it 3-0.
A walk to East was followed by Allen’s RBI single. East sprinted to third and drew a late throw. Allen headed for second and the relay there was wild, allowing East to score, making it 5-0.
Walks to Tatum and Misenheimer loaded the bases but Williams relieved and got out of the jam with no further damage.
That looked big as the Knights put together their comeback bid in the fifth but the Sox held on.
BRYANT EVERETT 8-5, CENTERPOINT 0-4
Game one
Knights ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Carden, 3b-ss 3 0 1 0 Allen, cf 3 0 0 1
Owens, 2b 3 0 0 0 Tatum, 2b 4 1 1 1
Burrows, ss 2 0 1 0 Misenheimer, c 3 0 1 1
McSwain, 3b 1 0 0 0 Vargas, cr 0 1 0 0
Banda, lf 2 0 0 0 Gentry, p 3 1 2 1
Williams, rf 3 0 1 0 Shurtleff, 3b 4 0 0 0
Crews, 1b 2 0 0 0 Orender, lf 2 1 0 0
Pate, c 3 0 1 0 Bonvillain, 1b 3 2 2 1
Hudson, p 0 0 0 0 Coleman, rf 2 1 1 1
Schildgen, p-cf 2 0 0 0 East, ss 2 1 2 2
Horn, cf-p 1 0 0 0
Totals 22 0 4 0 Totals 26 8 9 8
Centerpoint 000 000 0 — 0
Bryant 000 503 x — 8
E—East, Shurtleff. DP—Bryant 3. LOB—Centerpoint 5, Bryant 5. 2B—Burrows, East. 3B—Misenheimer, Gentry, Coleman. SB—Hudson, East 2, Orender, BonvillainGentry, Vargas. S—Horn, Banda. SF—Allen.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Centerpoint
Hudson (L) 3.1 5 5 5 1 0
Schildgen 0.2 1 3 3 4 1
Horn 1 0 0 1 1 0
Bryant
Gentry (W) 7 0 0 4 2 1
Schildgen faced three batters in the sixth.
HBP—Orender (by Hudson), Misenheimer (by Horn). WP—Schildgen.
Game two
Knights ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Carden, ss 2 1 1 1 Allen, cf 3 0 1 1
Owens, 2b-p-cf 3 2 1 0 Tatum, 2b 2 0 1 0
McSwain, p-2b 3 0 2 2 Misenheimer, c 1 0 0 0
Williams, cf-p 2 0 0 0 Gentry, cr 0 0 0 0
Pate, 1b 2 0 1 1 Brown, p 1 0 0 0
Crews, c 2 0 1 0 Hurt, cr 0 0 0 0
Banda, cr 0 0 0 0 Orender, lf 2 1 0 0
Horn, lf 2 0 0 0 Easterling, 1b 2 0 0 0
Hudson, 3b 2 1 1 0 Bonvillain, pr 0 1 0 0
Schildgen, rf 2 0 0 0 Vargas, 3b 2 1 1 1
Coleman, rf 2 1 1 1
East, ss 0 1 0 0
Totals 21 4 7 4 Totals 15 5 4 3
Centerpoint 200 02 — 4
Bryant 000 5x — 5
E—East, McSwain, Hudson. DP—Centerpoint 1. LOB—Centerpoint 3, Bryant 6. 2B—Hudson. 3B—McSwain. SF—Carden.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Centerpoint
McSwain 3.1 2 2 1 5 1
Owens (L) 0 3 2 3 3 0
Williams 0.2 0 0 0 0 1
Bryant
Brown (W) 5 4 3 7 0 2
Owens faced six batters in the fourth.
WP—Brown, McSwain, Owens 3.
