MEMPHIS — The bats of the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team, playing in the 16U Division of the Mid-Summer Showcase in the Memphis area, came to life on Sunday, resulting in an 11-5 win over the STL Gamers (Gray) 16U team at Sowell Field.
After dropping their first two pool games, the Sox bounced back to win their last two, improving to 10-7-1 overall this season with a game against Jacksonville set for Monday at Bryant High School Field.
Lawson Speer had three hits. J.T. Parker, who had a double and a triple, drove in three runs while Colby Morrow and Cade Parker added two hits each. Connor Martin drove in three and Morrow knocked in two.
Four-run bursts in the second and the fourth innings provided the winning formula for the Sox.
Jaxon Ham pitched into the fifth inning for Bryant with Caleb Greiner relieving and getting the last four outs.
The Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. After two were out, J.T. Parker walked, stole second and scored on a lined single to right by Morrow.
The Gamers tied it in the top of the second on a double and a single with one out.
Back came Bryant. Luke Dreher doubled to lead off the bottom of the second. With one out, Cade Parker lined one to left that fell in for a hit. Jordan Knox got a squeeze bunt down and Dreher scored to make it 2-1.
Speer’s lined single to left put runners at the corners for Martin, who singled to make it 3-1. J.T. Parker’s double followed, plating two.
Ham eased through a 1-2-3 third but, in the fourth, a one-out triple and a sacrifice fly made it 5-2.
Again, the Sox answered, blowing the game up with their second four-run outburst. Cade Parker’s single to left opened the inning. With one down, Speer yanked a single through the left side and, after a balk moved them to second and third, both scored when Martin’s grounder to third was misplayed.
J.T. Parker chased Martin home with his triple to center and, moments later, he scored on a passed ball to make it 9-2.
A pair of singles came to naught for STL in the top of the fifth but the Sox, in turn, tacked on another tally. With two down, Knox singled to center, took second on a passed ball and third on an error on the play. Speer’s single chased him home.
Ham retired the first two of the sixth but couldn’t get the third out. Four consecutive singles and a double followed. And when Ham issued a walk to fill the bases, Greiner was called upon to get the third out on a grounder to Dreher at second.
J.T. Parker drew a lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth. He advanced to second on a wild pitch then scored on Morrow’s single to right.
Greiner surrendered a single to start the seventh but, after a strikeout, the Sox were able to end the game in style with a doubleplay.
Robert Perkey
Congratulations black soxs