Junior Sox snap out of slump behind Pickett’s two-hitter
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting 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
Nothing that a little pitching, a little hitting and a little defense couldn’t solve.
Landon Pickett tossed a two-hit gem, his teammates provided errorless defense and plenty of runs early as the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team snapped a three-game skid with a 10-0 run-rule win over Jacksonville Gwatney Chevrolet at Bryant High School Field Wednesday night.
The Sox improved to 10-7 on the season going into a trip to Conway on Thursday, a return engagement with Conway NBMC, a team they beat 10-2 in Bryant earlier in the season.
With just under two weeks left in the regular season, the Sox are looking to get on a roll heading into District Tournament play at Sheridan July 3.[more]
Pickett, who struck out five without a walk, pitched three perfect innings before surrendering a lead-off single in the fourth to Jacob Abrahamson. Unfazed, the right-hander fanned the next batter Dvone McClure then induced a grounder to Brodie Nixon at third that started an inning-ending doubleplay.
Nick Rodriguez singled to left to start the fifth but Pickett set down the next three with a strikeout and a pair of groundouts to end the game.
At the plate, the Sox broke out to a 4-0 lead in the home first. Chris Joiner drew a lead-off walk and Evan Jobe singled. Dylan Pritchett launched a fly to right that was caught but Joiner was able to move up to third on the play. Jobe swiped second and Pickett delivered the first run with a single to left. With two down, Tyler Brown broke the inning open with a shot to left-center for a two-run double. He scored to make it 4-0 on Caleb Milam’s base hit.
In the second, Joiner singled to right, Jobe was hit by a pitch and Pritchett singled to load the bases for Pickett, who greeted a new pitcher with a two-run single to right to make it 6-0.
Pritchett sprinted home on a wild pitch that bounced off the backstop and ricocheted by the catcher. Pritchett’s slide just got him in under pitcher Chris McClendon’s tag.
With one out, Brown was hit by a pitch and he and Pickett moved up to second and third on a wild pitch. Milam followed with a fly to right that looked destined to be a sacrifice fly but the ball was dropped. Both Pickett and Brown scored and Milam wound up hauling it into third. He scored moments later on a grounder to third by Nixon and the Sox had their 10-0 lead.
BRYANT 10, JACKSONVILLE 0
Junior Division
Gwatney Chevrolet Black Sox
ab r h bi ab r h bi
Abrahamson, ss 2 0 1 0 Joiner, cf 1 2 1 0
McClure, cf 2 0 0 0 Jobe, rf 2 2 2 0
Castleberry, lf-3b 2 0 0 0 Pritchett, c 3 1 1 0
Rodriguez, c 2 0 1 0 Pickett, p 3 2 2 3
McClendon, 3b-p 2 0 0 0 Butler, 1b 3 0 0 0
Traylor, p-lf 2 0 0 0 Johnson, 1b 0 0 0 0
Cummings, 2b 2 0 0 0 Brown, 2b 2 2 1 2
Roberts, rf 1 0 0 0 Milam, lf 2 1 1 2
Tucker, rf 0 0 0 0 Nixon, 3b 1 0 0 1
Russell, 1b 1 0 0 0 Gattin, ss 3 0 0 0
Lamb, 1b 0 0 0 0
Totals 16 0 2 0 Totals 20 10 8 8
Jacksonville 000 00 — 0
BRYANT 460 0x — 10
E—Roberts, Lamb. DP—Jacksonville 1, Bryant 1. LOB—Jacksonville 1, Bryant 5. 2B—Brown. SB—Jobe, Nixon. SF—Milam.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Jacksonville
Traylor 1 7 7 6 1 1
McClendon 3 3 1 2 1 1
Bryant
Pickett (W, 4-1) 5 0 0 2 0 5
Traylor faced three batters in the second.
HBP—Jobe (by Traylor), Brown, Nixon (by McClendon). WP—Traylor 2, McClendon.
caleb
gattin looks good on that ground ball.