Junior Sox win first two at Wolffe Classic in Fayetteville
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FAYETTEVILLE — The Bryant Black Sox 16U Junior American Legion team won its first two games in the annual Chad Wolffe Classic on Thursday, defeating the Sticks Baseball Academy 16U team, 10-5, and the Oklahoma City Sandlot 16U team, 8-0.
The Sox, now 16-2, will continue play on Friday at 1:30 p.m., against Midwest Nationals 16.
Bryant 8, OKC Sandlot 0
Will Hathcote pitched a four-hit shutout over five innings, walking one and fanning three while the Sox hammered out 12 hits with lead-off man Lawson Speer going 4 for 4 with four runs batted in.
Bryant led just 2-0 after three innings but scored three in the top of the fourth and three more in the top of the fifth.
J.T. Parker drove in the first run of the game. With two away, Peyton Dillon singled and Ryan Riggs walked to set the stage for Parker’s RBI single.
Sandlot was set down in order in each of the first two innings. Bryant tacked on in the third when Speer singled then Dillon drew a walk. On a double steal, Sandlot threw to second and caught Dillon, but Riggs waited out a free pass. Drew Hatman stepped in to run for Riggs, the Sox’ catcher.
Hatman left early from first and stayed in a rundown long enough for Speer to score, making it 2-0.
Sandlot’s first hit, a single by Paxton Pitts came to start the bottom of the third but the Sox turned a doubleplay before Krew Taylor doubled. Hathcote induced a grounder to Noah Davis at short to end the inning.
Bryant’s three-run fourth began with Hathcote getting hit by a pitch with one out. He moved to second on Ethan Andrews’ bouncer to short and, after Dakota Clay walked, scored on Blaine Sears’ double. Speer singled to drive in two and it was 5-0.
Hathcote eased through the bottom of the fourth, fanning two. Riggs then led off the top of the fifth with a single. With Hatman in to run, Parker walked and, with one out, Andrews drilled a single to left that filled the sacks. Clay beat out an infield hit to drive in a run and, with two away, Speer cracked a two-run single to cap off the scoring.
Sandlot loaded the bases in the home fifth but a lineup to Dillon at second and a fly to Sears in left, ended the game.
Bryant 10, Sticks 5
The Sox broke open a 4-4 game with a six-run sixth. Tyler Bates, on in relief of Dillon, closed out the win by getting out of a jam in the sixth and working a scoreless seventh.
Speer had two hits including a triple. He drove in three. Hathcote doubled and drove in two runs. Clay knocked in two.
Bryant grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Speer was hit by a pitch and Davis lined a single to left. After Dillon was plunked by a 1-0 delivery to load the bases, Speer scampered home on a passed ball. Parker then sliced a single to right, driving in Davis.
The Sox tried to work a double steal but Dillon was caught at home. With Parker at third, Hathcote was hit by a pitch and Kyler Pabon walked to load the bases for Clay, who came through with an RBI single.
A solo homer in the bottom of the second began the Sticks’ rally. They got a second run in the inning, used a triple to score in the third and scratched out the tying run in the fourth.
Seven Black Sox were retired in succession before Pabon, Clay and Sears walked to load the bases in the top of the sixth. Speer cleared the bags with his triple but was thrown out trying to score when Parker tried to squeeze bunt him home.
Dillon had walked so, with Parker at first, Riggs drew a free pass to fill the bases for Hathcote, who ripped his double to plate two more, making it 9-4. Pabon’s RBI single capped off the outburst.
After a single and a stolen bases in the bottom of the sixth, Dillon struck out the next two batters. On a 2-2 pitch, he got the batter to hit a grounder on the infield but an error allowed the inning to continue and a run scored.
With Dillon’s pitch-count up, Bates relieved and recorded an inning-ending strikeout.
Bates allowed a two-out hit in the seventh but ended the game with a strikeout.
