CARLISLE — Logan White and Luke Bickerstaff each had two hits to lead the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team to an 8-4 win over the North Little Rock Junior Colts on Monday in an elimination game at the Area 4 Junior District tournament.
The Sox had opened the tournament with tough 5-4 loss to Lonoke on Sunday.
White allowed two runs in the first inning then pitched shutout ball until the sixth. Meanwhile, The Sox countered the 2-0 Colts lead with a run in the first and three in the second to take the lead for good. A three-run fifth helped insure the victory.
North Little Rock took advantage of a walk, a single and a pair of groundouts to take a 1-0 lead. A passed ball allowed a second tally.
White ignited a two-out rally for the Sox in the bottom of the inning. He stole second and third as Carson Kemp drew a walk. Kemp stole second and courtesy runner Jaylen Ryland scored on an errant throw from the catcher.
North Little Rock couldn’t take advantage of a lead-off walk in the second.
Again, the Sox got going in the bottom of the second after two were out. Bickerstaff’s infield hit was the catalyst. Justen Myles walked then Grant Dunbar delivered the game-tying single.
Myles went to third and Dunbar cruised into second on the late throw to the plate then both raced home on Brady Brower’s knock to center.
North Little Rock started the third with a pair of singles, but the Sox turned a doubleplay when the next batter grounded to Hunter Holt at first.
It stayed 4-2 until the bottom of the fifth when Holt and Gage Horn drew walks and Jaxon Ham greeted a new pitcher with a double down the right-field line. Two more scored when Bickerstaff beat out an infield hit and drew a late errant throw to first.
A single, a walk and a double produced two more runs for North Little Rock in the top of the sixth. White doubled and scored when Holt reached on an error in the bottom of the inning.
White started the seventh and surrendered a single and a walk. The next batter flew out to Myles in right.
With White at 108 pitches, Clay Crawford relieved and pitched around an error to close out the victory.
The Bryant Junior team travels to Carlisle on Tuesday.
