Junior Sox overwhelm Batesville, reach Junior State final four
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting 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).
By Rob Patrick
SHERIDAN — Cody Gogus clubbed a grand slam and Hayden Lessenberry swatted a three-run shot as the[more] Bryant Black Sox powered to a 13-0 lead before Batesville Citizens Bank had even been through its lineup completely.
The resulting 13-1 final on Sunday afternoon ended Batesville’s season while the Sox advanced to the semifinals of the Junior American Legion State Tournament at Oliver Williams Field. Now 19-4-1, the Sox will get a chance to avenge a loss they didn’t suffer on the field when they take on Jonesboro Fat City, the lone remaining undefeated team in the tourney, Monday at 7:30 p.m. Jonesboro was awarded a win by forfeit over Bryant in the opening game of the tournament. (For details, go here.)
Jonesboro advanced with a 7-6 win over Wynne in the winners bracket final on Sunday evening. In the other losers bracket game, Texarkana ousted host Sheridan, 12-5. Texarkana and Wynne will play in the other semifinal. If Bryant defeats Jonesboro, the Sox will play the survivor of the other Monday game on Tuesday at 5 with the winner playing Jonesboro for the championship at 7:30.
On Sunday, the Black Sox belted 13 hits including six for extra bases while ace Tryce Schalchlin was holding Batesville without a hit over the first three innings. The Bankers forged a run on three hits in the fourth as Bryant manager Jimmy Parker got an inning of work in for Blain Jackson. Ozzie Hurt pitched a 1-2-3 fifth, finishing with a pair of strikeouts to end the game.
“I’m in saving mode,” Parker said. “If we get a big lead, we’re going to pull them out and save them, to rest them as best we can. (Saturday), unfortunately, we couldn’t blow it up enough to get (Zach) Cambron out. But we’ve got enough pitching to get through it. We’ve just got to be smart about it.
“Schalchlin’s been our guy all year long,” he added. “He got three innings in, had a big lead and when we figured we could close it out in five (innings), we got him out of there. He can come back (Monday) if we need him but best case would be Tuesday night. I’d love to have him back Tuesday night.”
Gogus and Lessenberry each had three hits. Gogus drove in five and Lessenberry four. Schalchlin helped his own cause with a pair of hits and two batted in.
Batesville was obviously low on pitching after beating Sheridan 8-7 in its opener on Friday then losing to Wynne 13-3 on Saturday. Right-hander Joe Mourer gave up all 13 runs and 11 hits in 2 2/3 innings before Blake Van Winkle finally was called in to relieve.
Bryant took a 4-0 lead in the first. Hurt slapped a one-out single to right and Marcus Wilson drew a walk. Gogus walked to load the bases then Schalchlin bounced into a force at second, beating the relay to first to keep the inning alive as Hurt scored.
On the next pitch, Lessenberry unloaded with a drive over the fence in left-center.
Schalchlin hit the second batter he faced, Zane Worsencroft, but Hurt grabbed a bouncer near second base, stepped on and threw to first to double up Jacob Rawlings, ending the inning.
Trevor Ezell smacked a gapper for a double to start the second. Jackson was hit by a pitch then Tyler Green bounced to shortstop Wesley Rudd, who threw to third for a force out on Ezell.
Wilson walked again, however, to fill the bags for Gogus who ripped a 1-0 pitch over the boards in right-center to make it 8-0.
Schalchlin followed with a single off the pitcher’s glove. Lessenberry’s hot shot to the left side evaded the diving attempt of Rudd then Daniel Richards ripped one up the middle for an RBI single to make it 9-0.
Schalchlin struck out the side around a walk in the bottom of the inning and the onslaught resumed in the third. Jackson walked then Mourer retired the next two before Wilson drove one to the fence in right-center for an RBI triple. Gogus singled him in and, after moving up to second on a wild pitch, came home on Schalchlin’s double to left-center.
Van Winkle took over for Mourer and, on his second delivery, Lessenberry doubled in run number 13.
Jacob Rawlings got Batesville’s first hit to lead off the fourth. An infield hit by Ladon Gilmore and a one-out bloop single by Tanner McGuire loaded the bases. Jacob Henderson got the run in with a sacrifice fly to right but the threat was over when Van Winkle bounced to Gogus for a force at third.
In the fifth, Hurt came to the mound and Schalchlin, who played first in the fourth, moved to second, the only position the field he had yet to play this season. He’s played at all nine positions for the Sox this season.
BRYANT 13, BATESVILLE CITIZENS BANK 1
Junior American Legion
Black Sox ab r h bi Bankers ab r h bi
Green, cf 4 0 1 0 May, cf 3 0 0 0
Hurt, 2b 4 2 1 0 Worsencroft, lf 1 0 0 0
Wilson, lf 1 3 1 1 Hendrickson, ph 1 0 0 0
Gogus, 3b 3 2 3 5 Rawlings, rf 2 1 1 0
Schalchlin, p-1b-2b 4 3 2 2 Gilmore, 1b 2 0 1 0
Lessenberry, c 4 1 3 4 Vaughn, 1b 0 0 0 0
Richards, rf 4 0 1 1 Rudd, ss 2 0 0 0
Ezell, ss 3 0 1 0 Coles, ss 0 0 0 0
Jackson, 1b-p 1 2 0 0 McGuire, c 1 0 1 0
Henderson, 3b1001
Mourer, p0000
Van Winkle, p2000
Bishop, 2b1000
Neaville, ph1000
Totals 28 13 13 13 Totals 17 1 3 1
BRYANT 454 00 — 13
Batesville 000 10 — 1
E—Ezell, McGuire. DP—Bryant 1. LOB—Bryant 7, Batesville 5. 2B—Schalchlin, Ezell, Lessenberry. 3B—Wilson. HR—Lessenberry, Gogus. SB—Hurt. SF—Henderson.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
BRYANT
Schalchlin (W) 3 0 0 0 1 4
Jackson 1 1 1 3 0 0
Hurt 1 0 0 0 0 2
Batesville
Mourer (L) 2.2 13 13 11 4 1
Van Winkle 1.1 0 0 2 1 1
HBP—Worsencroft (by Schalchlin), Jackson (by Mourer). WP—Mourer.
