MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Everett Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant built a 4-1 lead through six innings in support of lefty Beaux Bonvillain and held on for a 4-3 win when Austin Kelly ended the game with a strikeout with the potential tying and lead runs on base in the top of the seventh.
The win thrust the Sox into the championship game of the 16-and-under division of the Keith Hagan Memorial All America wood bat tournament. They were set to play the St. Louis Gamers immediately after their semifinal win over Elite Sports Academy of Savannah, Tenn.
Bonvillain wound up allowing three runs on eight hits with three walks and six strikeouts through 6 2/3 innings. He retired the first two batters in the seventh then gave up a three of those eight hits, a single, an RBI double and an RBI single as Elite cut the lead to 4-3.
Kelly relieved and issued a walk before ending the game with the strikeout.
The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Logan Allen singled and Connor Tatum sacrificed him to second. With two down, Dylan Hurt lined a double to center to plate the run.
Elite tied it in the top of the second, loading the bases with a double, a walk and a single. The run scored on a sacrifice fly then Bonvillain forced the Tennessee team to strand two when he ended the inning with a strikeout.
Bryant threatened in the third when Allen, Hurt and Hunter Oglesby singled. But the tie wasn’t snapped until the bottom of the fourth when Jordan Gentry walked, Coleman was hit by a pitch and Jake East belted a double to center to drive both home, making it 3-1.
Bonvillain struck out the first two in the top of the fifth then surrendered a single and a walk but induced a grounder to East at short to end the threat.
The Sox tacked on in the fifth. Garrett Misenheimer walked, advanced on a passed ball and scored on Gentry’s clutch two-out single to center.
Bonvillain worked around a two-out walk in the top of the sixth then walks to Coleman and Allen in the bottom of the inning came to nothing, setting up the dramatic finish.
Everett improved to 22-6 with the victory.
