Junior Sox dismiss North Little Rock Red to start new streak
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).
After their 10-game win streak was snapped on Tuesday, the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion started a new one on Wednesday with a 13-0 victory over an over-matched North Little Rock Red Colts team.
Coby Greiner, on a pitch limit, retired the first eight batters including five on strikes before hitting Josh Beck. He gave way to Myers Buck who surrendered North Little Rock’s lone hit, an infield single by Jalani Willis. Buck went on to set down four of the next five batters, fanning the last two of the game in the top of the fourth to complete the one-hit shutout.
Offensively, Logan Catton went 3 for 3 and Brooks Ellis went 2 for 2 with two runs batted in for the Sox who improved to 15-9 overall this season heading into The Hagan, a prestigious tournament in Memphis, starting Friday. Logan Chambers drove in four runs for Bryant.
Four runs scored in the bottom of the first. Jake Wright walked and Catton singled before Greiner grounded into a force and Catton was picked off trying to go to third.
Konnor Clontz, the courtesy runner for Greiner stole second and advanced on an errant pickoff throw.
North Little Rock pitcher Titan Crump then hit Ellis and Christian Harp to load the bases for Chambers who drilled a triple to right-center to make it 3-0.
Sawyer Holt was plunked then Clift Chaffin beat out an infield hit to drive in Chambers.
In the second, Catton singled with one out and sprinted home on a triple by Ellis. An errant throw from the outfield allowed Ellis to score as well, making it 6-0.
The third inning was rugged for the Colts with two errors, a walk and another hit batsman. The Sox used five hits to score seven times.
One of the errors allowed Holt to reach to start the outburst. Clontz sacrificed him to second. Buck was drilled and the table was set for the hit parade. Wright singled in a run then Catton dumped a base hit into shallow right to load the bases. A run scored when Greiner’s grounder to third was misplayed. Ellis delivered an RBI single to left then Harp knocked in two with a sharp single.
Cole Kimrey took over on the mound and he got Chambers to bounce out to first but Ellis scored on the play. Holt capped off a nine-pitch at bat with a walk before Clontz doubled to make it 13-0.
In the 16-and-under division of the Keith Hagan Memorial All-American Classic, the Bryant Junior team will be in a pool with the St. Louis Gamers, Extreme Elite and Batters Box. They’ll open on Friday at 4 p.m., against the Batters Box team. They take on the St. Louis team on Saturday at 1 p.m. On Sunday, Bryant takes on Extreme Elite at 1 p.m., then wraps up with a non-pool game at 7 p.m., against Team Colorado.
Bracket play will commence on Monday and conclude on Wednesday.
