CONWAY — If it had been a seven-inning game, the Bryant Junior Black Sox would’ve won 5-3. But in the eight and ninth innings, the Little Rock Patriots added six runs to come away with a 10-5 victory in the 16U division of the Central Arkansas Showcase on Friday.
The Black Sox were set to play twice on Saturday, against Express at 10 a.m., and against Cabot at 4 p.m.
Clay Crawford had two hits for Bryant. He was also among the Sox’ five pitchers along with Grant Dunbar, Lakin Woods, Carson Kemp and Tucker Dunn.
Little Rock struck for three runs in the first to take the early lead. The inning included a hit batsman, three singles, a wild pitch and a passed ball.
Bryant didn’t manage a baserunner until the third when, with one out, Dunbar beat out an infield hit. Brady Brower’s infield knock was followed by Crawford’s first hit, a looper to right that loaded the bases.
Reid Catton reached on an error at third as Dunbar scored but that was all the Sox could muster in the inning.
Little Rock used a one-out double and a two-out single to get that run back in the top of the fourth.
In the home half, Hunter Holt was hit by a pitch and, with one out, scored on Gage Horn’s double to make it 4-2.
Woods struck out the side around a pair of walks in the top of the fifth then fanned two more in a 1-2-3 sixth.
Bryant tied it with a rally in the bottom of the sixth. Jordan Knox was hit by a pitch to lead off. He stole second before Luke Bickerstaff walked. An error allowed Knox to score as he stole third. Bickerstaff made it to second before Holt was plunked by a pitch.
The duo worked a double steal and with one out, a passed ball allowed Bickerstaff to score the tying run.
Woods surrendered a one-out double in the top of the seventh but induced a pair of groundouts to keep him from scoring.
Bryant took the lead in the home seventh. Dunbar was hit by a delivery and stole second. Luis Hernandez sacrificed him to third and Crawford came through with the RBI single to make it 5-4.
Knox drew a two-out walk to put a pair on base, but they were stranded.
Four batters had hits and three were struck by pitches in Little Rock’s four-run eighth. The Sox turned a doubleplay in the ninth but a hit batsman, an error and two walks contributed to a two-run inning for the Patriots.
The Sox, meanwhile, were set down in order in both the eighth and the ninth innings.
