Wood fires no-hitter at league rival Conway
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
PINE BLUFF — Over the last two seasons, there has been no team around that has hit Bryant Hornets ace lefty Travis Wood better than the Conway Wampus Cats. So, it was with some relish that Wood shackled the Cats without a hit in a seven-inning gem in the first round of the Billy Bock Memorial Classic at Taylor Field on Thursday, March 17. Wood, usually all business on the mound, even showed a little emotion with a pump of his fist when the final out was recorded on his 12th strikeout of the game.
And it was a more significant win than just sending the Hornets to the semifinals of the tournament. By previous agreement, the game served as the first AAAAA-Central Conference game between the two teams.
Bryant thus improved to 3-0 versus league teams, 9-4 overall. Conway fell to 4-5 overall, 1-1 in the conference.
The Hornets didn’t exactly knock the cover off the ball against Conway’s Steve Chandler, but they proved to be opportunistic, taking advantage of four Conway errors.
Incidentally, the Hornets were errorless in the field.
Wood retired the first seven batters he faced, five on strikes before he walked Adam Boucher in the third. Boucher stole second but was stranded.
In the fourth, Wood issued a one-out walk to Richie Irvin. He struck out Andy Lee as courtesy runner Eric Anthony swiped second. Luke Pruett then hit a hard grounder to the right of second baseman Devin Hurt. Though Hurt got a glove on the ball all he could do was deflect it. Fortunately, shortstop Justin Wells was hustling toward the play. The ball ricocheted right to him and he fired to first to retire Pruett to end the inning.
The Hornets, limited to Todd Bryan’s first-inning infield hit and three walks over the first three frames, broke the scoreless tie in the home fourth. Wood helped his own cause by ripping a lead-off triple. Wells walked then Aaron Davidson’s grounder to short was booted allowing Wood to score from third.
Chandler retired the next two but Bryan Griffith’s grounder got through Pruett at third and Wells raced home to make it 2-0.
Wood worked around lead-off walks in the fifth and sixth and he wound up retiring the last six he faced.
His teammates gave him a little breathing room in the bottom of the sixth. Richie Wood led off the inning with a single. Griffith walked then Danny Riemenschneider got a sacrifice bunt down that drew a wild throw from relief pitcher Jonathan Houston, allowing Richie Wood to score.
After another pitching change, Devin Hurt drew a walk to load the bases and Bryan made it 4-0 with a sacrifice fly to center.
