Bearden no-hits Comets
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continue 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
BRYANT TIMES
Bryant Hornets junior right-hander Tim Bearden came back to haunt his former teammates at Little Rock Mills on Monday, March 12, firing a five-inning no-hitter in a 14-1 victory at Bryant High School Field.
Bearden, who played for the Comets as a freshman, struck out nine, walked three and hit two batters, giving up an unearned run in the second inning.
He was backed by a Hornets offense that scored double-digit runs for the fourth consecutive game and fifth time in 10 games this season. Bryant banged out nine hits including two each by Jake Jackson and Tyler Sawyer.
The Hornets improved to 7-3 on the season going into their second 7A-Central Conference game at Pine Bluff on Tuesday, March 6 (see related story on page 8).
Sawyer, a sophomore, drove in four runs, following up a three-hit game against Little Rock Catholic. Jackson extended a hitting streak to seven games and Joey Winiecki extended his hitting streak to eight games with a first-inning RBI triple. Winiecki has hit safely in nine of the Hornets’ 10 games.
That triple put Bryant on the board after Bearden had pitched a scoreless top of the first thanks in part to catcher Tyler Pickett throwing out Nick Elmore trying to steal after he had drawn a walk. Jackson started the bottom of the first with a single to center. Jordan Knight followed with a bloop to center that Elmore charged in and caught. Trying to catch Jackson off first, Elmore threw wildly allowing the baserunner to race to third.
But Jackson remained there with two down when Winiecki laced a 1-0 delivery into the gap in right-center for a triple. He scored moments later on a wild pitch.
Bearden hit Adam Jegley to start the second. A stolen base and an error allowed him to reach third. He scored when Cameron Graves bounced out to Michael Haydon at first.
In the bottom of the second, Trent Daniel drew a walk and swiped second, taking third on a bouncer by Pickett. Sawyer singled him home to make it 3-1.
An errant pickoff throw allowed Sawyer to take third and, with two down, Jackson came through with a single to chase him home.
Bearden worked a 1-2-3 third and the Hornets continued their onslaught in the home half of the inning. With one down, Alex Kehrees and Daniel singled. A walk to Pickett loaded the bases for Sawyer who smashed a drive to the fence in left-center for a bases-clearing triple.
Mills starter Norman Antoun gave way to Elmore but before he could end the inning, a wild pitch allowed Sawyer to score, making it 8-1.
Bearden actually struck out four batters in the top of the fourth. The first one reached when the third strike was in the dirt and got past sophomore catcher Kaleb Jobe.
In the bottom of the inning, the Hornets blew the game up with six runs. Cody Walker walked, advancing to second and third on wild pitches then scoring on a passed ball. With one out, Kehrees walked. With two down, Jobe was hit by a pitch. Mills appeared to be out of the inning when Sawyer hit a tap in front of the mound. But Jegley couldn’t hold Elmore’s throw to first and Kehrees scored. Sawyer wound up at second as Jeremy Beadle, the courtesy runner for Jobe raced to third. Following a walk to Haydon that loaded the bases, Anthony Raby ripped a two-run single down the line in left. Knight capped the inning with a two-run triple.
A walk and hit batsman extended the top of the fifth but Bearden closed out the no-hitter with a pair of grounders to Raby at second.
