SHERIDAN — The Bryant Everett Buick GMC Black Sox will play for the Junior American Legion State championship tonight around 8 p.m., against the winner of the losers bracket final between Texarkana and Blytheville, which will commence at 6.
Texarkana stayed alive by defeating the Sox 8-3 Monday night after Bryant clinched a bid to the finals with a 5-4 win over Paragould on Sunday. Blytheville ousted Paragould, 6-3, in Monday’s early game.
Bryant was the last remaining unbeaten team but, in accordance with the antiquated former College World Series bracket, had to play Monday instead of advancing on to Tuesday’s championship. The game with the survivor of the Blytheville-Texarkana game will play the Sox in a winner-take-all game.
Bryant is attempting to repeat as Junior Legion State champions.
The Sox and Texarkana split two games in the final round of the Zone 4 tournament with the Razorbacks winning the championship. In their first meeting at State, five Bryant errors hampered the effort for the Sox. The last of those miscues, opened up the top of the seventh when Texarkana broke the game open, turning a 4-3 lead into an 8-3 margin. Bryant was retired 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning as the Hogs closed out the win.
Both teams scored in the third. Texarkana used a one-out single and two errors to scratch out a run against Bryant starter Christian Harp.
For Bryant, Jeffrey Hastings walked and, with two down, Matthew Sandidge singled and Garrett Misenheimer drilled a double. But the Sox stranded runners at second and third.
Texarkana scored two more runs in the top of the fourth to regain the upper hand. Bryant got one run back in the home half. Austin Kelly was hit by a pitch, Aaron Orender singled and Grayson Prince sacrificed them to second and third. After a walk to Hastings, Kelly scored.
It stayed 3-2 until the sixth. Texarkana got a run in but the Sox got it back in the bottom of the inning. Kelly was hit by a pitch then Orender grounded into a force. But the Texarkana second baseman unleashed a wild throw on the relay to first and Orender wound up at second. Singles by Hastings and pinch-hitter Brandon Hoover brought the run around. The Sox had runners at first and third, a chance to tie or take the lead but Texarkana got out of the jam with both runners left on.
In the top of the seventh, Boston Heil came on in relief and, despite the inning-opening error, the Sox were an out away from keeping it 4-3. But a walk, a hit batsman then a pair of singles followed as the Razorbacks added on.
