Junior Sox 17-and-under team sweeps pool play at Cabot
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).
Photos courtesy of J’Ann Lessenberry
CABOT — The Bryant Black Sox 17-and-under Junior American Legion team went 4-0 in pool play to advance to the semifinals of the 2018 Memorial Weekend Junior Tournament at the Cabot Water Park and Sports Complex.
The Sox are set to play in the semifinals on Monday at 2 p.m., against Texarkana. If they will, they’ll play for the tourney title at 4.
Bryant opened up with a 6-2 win over Cabot on Saturday then dismissed the Brinkley Patriots, 8-2. On Sunday, they defeated Vilonia, 7-1, then downed Little Rock, 8-5.
Bryant 6, Cabot 2
Cabot got both of its runs against Bryant’s Peyton Dillon in the fourth inning. By that time, the Sox had built a 3-0 lead. Three more runs in the top of the sixth capped the victory.
Dillon fanned three and walked one, allowing three hits. He retired the last seven he faced in the six-inning contest.
The Sox only had four hits but took advantage of four hit batsmen, two walks and three errors.
They got on the board first in the third when, with two out, Noah Davis reached on an error. He stole second and scored when Coby Greiner smacked an RBI single.
In the top of the fourth, Dillon was hit by a pitch and Cade Drennan beat out an infield hit. Slade Renfrow came through with an RBI double then Brayden Lester made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, Dillon had pitched around a one-out triple in the second and a lead-off walk in the third.
An error opened the gate in the fourth. The next batter bounced into a force, but a pair of singles and a wild pitch followed and two runs scored to make it a one-run game.
Bryant’s three-run sixth began with a walk to Renfrow. He took second on a wild pitch and, after Lester beat out an infield hit, and Zion Collins was plunked by a pitch, Davis cracked a double.
Greiner walked and, with two out, Dillon was hit for the third time forcing in the final run.
Bryant 8, Brinkley 2
Davis and Konnor Clontz each had two hits and Greiner drove in three to back the pitching of Lester, Greiner and Drennan, who scattered four hits and allowed just one earned run as the Sox committed three errors.
Bryant grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first two innings. It was 3-1 until a five-run sixth broke the game open for the Sox.
Davis singled to start the game, took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Greiner’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Gage Stark’s groundout.
After Lester worked around a two-out error in the home first, he led off the second by getting struck with a pitch. Collins got a sacrifice bunt down and, after walks to Clontz and Davis loaded the bases, Greiner walked to force in a run. Stark picked up another RBI when he bounced into a force at third. And it was 3-0.
The Patriots got on the board in the home second on a single, a walk, a wild pitch and an errant throw.
In Bryant’s sixth, Lester cracked a lead-off single through the left side. He stole second then Collins drew a walk. Clontz got a bunt down and beat it out for a hit, filling the bags.
Davis’ knock made it 4-1 then Greiner’s lined single to right plated a pair. Stark got hit third run batted in with a groundout to third to make it 7-1.
After Dillon drew a walk, he and Greiner worked a double steal to make it 8-1.
An error allowed the Patriots’ lead-off man to reach base in the bottom of the sixth but Drennan struck out the next two. A wild pitch allowed the runner to take secnd and he scored on a two-out single to right to set the final score.
Bryant 7, Vilonia 1
Lawson Speer and Renfrow each had two hits and Blaine Sears stopped Vilonia on two hits. He fanned three without a walk.
Both hits came in the bottom of the third when Vilonia tied the game at 1-1. The Sox had taken a lead in the opening frame. Davis walked, Speer sacrificed him to second. With two down, Garrett Wilson’s groundball got past the shortstop for an error, allowing Davis to score.
Bryant snapped the tie in the top of the fifth. Again, Davis got things started. This time, he was hit by a pitch. He stole second then tagged and advanced to third on a fly to right by Speer.
Renfrow’s RBI single put the Sox on top. Wilson smacked a hit and, with two down, Will Hathcote drew a walk to load the bases.
After a pitching change, a wild pitch allowed Renfrow to score, making it 3-1.
Sears pitched around a two-out error in the bottom of the fifth and the Sox went back to work with the sticks in the top of the sixth.
Greiner reached on an error to start the uprising. With one out, he was caught trying to steal just before Speer beat out an infield hit. Renfrow followed with another infield knock. An error allowed Speer to score on the play and it was 4-1.
As Sears was setting down the last seven Patriot batters, Bryant added three more runs in the top of the seventh to put the game away.
A one-out walk to Sears ignited the uprising. Ryan Lessenberry bounced into a force at second but Greiner was hit by a pitch. Tyler Bates, running for Lessenberry, advanced to second then both runners scored when Davis singled.
After Davis stole second, he scored on Speer’s base hit to right.
Bryant 8, Little Rock 5
After leading early, the Sox found themselves trailing 5-4 going into the bottom of the fifth. They scored four times to win it as time ran out.
Davis had three more hits as did Wilson. Ryan Riggs, Aaron Morgan and Connor Coleman added two hits apiece. Coleman, Davis, Riggs and Wilson each had a double along the way.
Collins picked up the win on the mound with Renfrow helping out by retiring the last two batters to earn a save.
It was a seesaw batter.
Collins struck out two around a two-out single in the first and the Sox took a 1-0 lead in the home half. Davis, Riggs and Wilson connected on consecutive singles.
Little Rock tied it in the top of the third on a double and a one-out single.
Bryant regained the upper hand in the home third as Wilson singled, stole second, raced to third on Renfrow’s groundout and, as Kannon Allison worked walked, scored on a passed ball.
But Little Rock scored twice in the top of the fourth to take a 3-2 edge. A walk and a single set the table. A pair of errors and another hit produced the runs.
The Sox came right back in the bottom of the fourth to reclaim the lead. Christian Motes walked on four pitches with one out. Davis singled and, with two away, Wilson plated two runs with his double.
Renfrow and Allison were both hit by pitches to load the bases but all three were stranded.
Back came Little Rock in the top of the fifth. A pair of walks and an error tied the game then a single to left made it a 5-4 lead for Little Rock.
Morgan singled to start the bottom of the fifth. Coleman doubled and Spear, running for Morgan scored all the way from first.
After Josh Turner lined a single to right, Davis doubled in a run. Riggs’ two-bagger made it 8-5. Sears, running for Riggs, stole third before Wilson lined out.
That’s when time ran out.
