Bryant busts Sheridan
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By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
BENTON — Junior right-hander Chris Sory held the Sheridan Yellowjackets to just two singles over the first six innings and the Bryant Hornets supported him with three doubleplays and, on offense, 14 hits in a 9-1 victory in the consolation bracket of the Benton Invitational Tournament at Bill Perry Field in Bernard Holland Park Monday.
Sory walked four and struck out seven in picking up the complete-game victory. Sheridan broke up his shutout bid with a run on three hits in the seventh but even then, the tally came home as the Hornets were turning their third twin-killing of the contest.
Offensively, the Hornets were led by Tad Beene. Late joining the ballclub after playing basketball, Beene entered the game still looking for his first hit of the season. He got it leading off the third, a single to right that ignited a three-run uprising.
Beene wound up going 3-for-4, reaching base four times and scoring three runs. Matt White and Beau Hamblen added two hits each and Dustin Morris drove in a pair of runs.
The Hornets put baserunners on in every inning the game was scoreless until the third when Brandon Nichols followed Beene’s lead-off single with a one-out hit. Beene raced to third, drawing a late throw that allowed Nichols to reach second. Beene came home on Morris’ grounder to short and, when Sheridan’s Matthew Threet threw wildly to first, in came Nichols as well.
Morris stole second and, with two out, scored from there when Matt Brown’s bouncer to second drew an off-line throw to first.
In the fourth, Drew Lawson led off with a single then Beene beat out a bunt for a hit, but Sheridan turned a doubleplay to get out of the jam.
And, in turn, the Yellowjackets threatened in the bottom of the inning. Walks to Threet and Josh Anderson and a lined single to center by B.J. McCurley (who had three of Sheridan’s five hits including the only two prior to the seventh) loaded the bases with no one out.
But Sory struck out Jimmy Hazzard and when Craig Manatt lined to Morris at second, Anderson wandered too far off the bag and was doubled off to end the inning.
The Hornets then added to their lead in the fifth. With one down, Anthony Rose rolled a single to left. Michael McClellan then shot one to the right side that Sheridan second baseman Jeremy Orman couldn’t handle. The ball even got past Anderson in right allowing pinch-runner Matt Nugent to score from first. McClellan wound up at second.
Kevin Littleton came on to run for McClellan, took third on a grounder to short by Brown then scored when Hamblen lashed a double down the left-field line, making it 5-0.
Sory worked a 1-2-3 fifth and the Hornets’ bats went back to work in the top of the sixth. The inning started with Anderson dropping Beene’s fly to right. A wild pitch allowed Beene to reach second then he stole third. With one out, Nichols walked then Morris drilled a double into the left-field corner.
With one in and runners at second and third, clean-up hitter Anthony Rose set down a perfect squeeze bunt, driving in Nichols to make it 7-0. On a daring piece of baserunning, Morris tried to catch the Yellowjackets napping and tried to score on the play as well. And when Sheridan catcher Stan Moseley couldn’t handle the throw in the dirt and get a tag on Morris, it was 8-0.
Sory issued a lead-off walk to Orman in the bottom of the inning but the Hornets turned their second doubleplay to erase the runner. Sory then fanned Anderson to end the inning.
The Hornets added another run in the seventh. Beene slapped a single to right, Matt White cracked a base hit to left then Travis Lawhon picked up the RBI with a single to left.
McCurley, Hazzard and Manatt singled to open the bottom of the seventh on three consecutive pitches. Sory’s fourth offering, however, resulted in a doubleplay (and the Jackets’ lone run). The game ended when Josh Deaton grounded out to third.
The result left Bryant 7-3 this season with a game against Greenbrier set for Tuesday in the consolation final of the tourney.
