SHERIDAN — Already set to play in the championship game of the Junior American Legion State Tournament, the Bryant Black Sox had to play what they call “the extra game” on Sunday at Oliver Williams Field.
And they suffered a 6-5 loss to Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet. All that means is that they took the rest of Sunday off while Jacksonville and the North Central Arkansas Purple Thunder Monkeys vie to be their opponent. North Central knocked out Sheridan People Bank, 10-5 in five innings, later on Sunday to gain a shot at Jacksonville on Sunday night.
Jacksonville rallied for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to wipe out an 8-3 deficit to beat North Central, 10-8, so the Sox will get another chance at Gwatney Monday at 7 p.m., with a chance to repeat as State champions.
The “extra game” is a product of the old College World Series bracket that, for some reason, American Legion has held onto even after the NCAA did away with it several years ago. If the Sox had won, they would’ve played Sunday night for the championship but with the chance to play on Monday if they lost that game in a winner-take-all final.
And they were in position on Sunday afternoon to do just that after they rallied from a 4-1 deficit for four runs in the bottom of the fifth. They took a 5-4 lead into the seventh and final inning only to have Jacksonville come back with two to regain the upper hand. The Sox were retired in order in the home seventh as Jacksonville, which was facing elimination, kept hope alive.
The teams combined for seven errors in the contest. Bryant had seven hits including doubles by Cade Parker and Logan White. Luke Dreher and J.T. Parker, just back after recovering from an injury, each had two hits.
Brandon Thomisee pitched into the fifth inning allowing four runs, all unearned, on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts. Drew Hatman relieved in the fifth and got out of a jam but surrendered the first run on the seventh before giving way to Tyler Bates, who absorbed the loss.
Bryant scratched out the game’s first run in the bottom of the second when Dreher singled, Cade Parker doubled, and J.T. Parker dropped in a looping single into center to drive in a run.
Thomisee pitched around a two-out error and a single in the top of the third.
But the fourth started with a single to left and, with one out, an error prolonged the inning. A walk loaded the bases. The tying run scored when a grounder to Connor Martin at short resulted in a force at third.
Consecutive singles followed, however, to make it 4-1.
Dreher singled to start the bottom of the fourth but was stranded.
In the fifth, Thomisee struck out two but, between them, he hit a batter. A passed ball allowed the runner to get to second.
Hatman relieved and, after an error put runners on the corners, catcher Ryan Riggs picked off the runner at third, who sprinted toward to plate. Cade Parker’s return throw was in time for the third out of the inning.
Lawson Speer reached base to start Bryant’s fifth, his grounder to third was booted. White’s double followed. With runners at second and third, Riggs delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the margin to 4-2.
Martin singled up the middle to drive in White and make it a one-run game. Colby Morrow reached on an error then Jaxon Ham got a sacrifice bunt down that the Jacksonville catcher jumped on only to threw wildly down the first-base line. Martin scored to tie the game and Morrow wound up at third. Ham cruised into second.
Cade Parker hit a grounder to third to drive in Hayden Thompson, in running for Morrow, to put the Sox ahead. After the throw to first got Parker, a relay to second caught Ham for the third out.
Hatman worked a 1-2-3 sixth, fanning two. In turn, the Sox threatened to add to the lead. J.T. Parker led off with a lined single to left. Jordan Knox sacrificed him to second. Speer was hit by a pitch but a foul pop to first and a grounder to first ended the threat.
Jacksonville scored its two runs in the top of the seventh before the Sox could get an out, so it could’ve been worse.
A single started the inning and Bates relieved. He hit a batter then, after long battle with the next batter, a single up the middle tied the game again.
Bates got a strike of another out when another single drove in the go-ahead tally.
A fly to Knox in right resulted in a doubleplay as he threw in behind the runner at first to Morrow for a second out. Bates ended the inning with a strikeout.
But the Sox were retired in order in the bottom of the seventh as the game concluded.
