Hornets drub Russellville
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RUSSELLVILLE — Of the 15 outs that the Bryant Hornets needed to dismiss the Russellville Cyclones in five innings, junior left-hander Trent Daniel got 13 of them on strikes as he fired a two-hitter in his team’s 14-1 romp at Hickey Park on Friday, March 9.
The Hornets hammered 11 hits including two each by Cody Walker, Joey Winiecki, Alex Kehrees and Daniel himself as they scored double digits in runs for the fifth time in their last six games. Kehrees drove in five and Walker three as the Hornets improved to 8-4 overall this season, 2-1 in the 7A-Central Conference with a showdown at home against the unbeaten Conway Wampus Cats looming on Tuesday, March 20.
Though Russellville struggled to make contact with Daniel’s pitches, he only had two easy innings and it didn’t look that promising initially. In the bottom of the first, he walked two and hit a batter to load the bases with no one out. But he fanned the next three to leave them that way.
The Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second with the help of a pair of Cyclone errors. Winiecki doubled to open the inning, extending his hitting streak to 10 in a row. He’s hit safely in 11 of the Hornets’ 12 games this season. After he stole third, he scored on a grounder to third by Kehrees. And when the throw to first was off, Kehrees reached safely as well, taking second when the ball got to the fence.
Daniel followed with an infield hit that sent Kehrees to third and Tyler Sawyer brought in the second run with a sacrifice fly.
After Daniel pitched around a one-out single in the bottom of the inning by striking out the side, the Hornets added two more in the third. Jordan Knight singled and when he swiped second, an errant throw allowed him to go to third. Walker drew a free pass and stole second. Groundouts by Winiecki and Kehrees brought them home to make it 4-0.
Daniel struck out two more around an error and a single in the third. With runners at first and second and two down, Cory Baxley hit a slow roller to third but Sawyer made a nice play to gun him down at first, retiring the side.
Sawyer then led off the fourth with a liner to left for a base hit. An errant pickoff throw allowed him to take second then he took third when Russellville shortstop Derek Owens robbed Tyler Pickett of a hit with a nice play. With two down, Jake Jackson and Knight drew walks to load the bases for Walker who laced a two-run single to left to make it 6-0.
Winiecki was hit by a pitch to load the bases again and that spelled the end of the moundwork for Cyclone starter Nathan Cathcart. Owens relieved and was greeted by Kehrees’ shot to left center for a two-run single and an 8-0 bulge.
In the home fourth, it was feast or famine for the Bryant southpaw. He struck out the side again but he also walked four to force in Russellville’s lone run of the game. The Cyclones again stranded three.
The Hornets proceeded to blow the game up with a six-run top of the fifth that began with a one-out walk to Pickett. Anthony Raby joined the hit parade with a single to left and Jackson walked to load the bases. Knight delivered a sacrifice fly. Walker singled in Raby and Winiecki knocked in Jackson with a base hit. Kehrees followed with a double down the line in right that chased in Walker and, when a relay by Russellville first baseman Morgan Hines was off line, Winiecki scampered home as well.
Daniel capped the uprising with a base hit to bring in Kehrees. He then retired the Cyclones in order in the bottom of the inning including another pair of strikeouts to end it.
