Hornets subdue Central
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
Here’s how well Michael McClellan has been pitching this season. On Monday, March 20, he worked a complete game and he gave up just one earned run — and his earned run average went up!
McClellan, a senior right-hander, didn’t have his best stuff when he faced the Little Rock Central Tigers at Ashley Park. But he battled through his lack of command and went the distance, forcing the Tigers to strand runners in every inning of a 9-2 Bryant victory. He scattered nine hits and three walks and only struck out three.
The win improved the Hornets to 10-3 this season. McClellan upped his mark to 3-1. He came into the contest with a miniscule 0.94 ERA. Once he’d finished, it was all the way up to 0.95.
The Hornets hammered out 10 hits to take advantage of six Central errors and seven walks. A five-run fourth overcame the Tigers’ early 2-1 lead. Matt White, Matt Brown and Dustin Morris each had two hits for the Hornets. Brown, Morris and Cody Graddy drove in two runs apiece.
McClellan worked around a game-opening double and a pair of walks — catcher Beau Hamblen erased one of those runners by throwing them out trying to steal. But, in the second, Wes Bulloch led off with a single and Adam Acklin doubled to lead things off. A sacrifice fly by Mike Muller produced the run then McClellan and the Hornets’ defense forced the Tigers to strand Acklin at third.
In the third, however, the Tigers made it 2-0. With one down, A.D. Yancey singled and stole second. He then tried to score on a double to right by Joshua Sullivan but the Hornets worked a nifty relay from Brown in right to shortstop Tad Beene to Hamblen at the plate.
Mike Arnold followed with a slow roller up the third base line. McClellan rushed over and fielded the ball then cut loose with a wild throw to first. Yancey scored and Arnold wound up at second. But McClellan got the third out when Bulloch hit a tap in front of the plate that Hamblen fielded, throwing on to first for the out.
The Hornets got on the board in the bottom of the inning. With one out, White rifled a single to left that Central’s Jonathan Caudle misplayed. White wound up at second and, from there, he scored on Brown’s single up the middle.
After McClellan worked around an error and a walk in the top of the fourth, the Hornets took the lead in the bottom of the inning and chased Acklin, the Central starter.
With one out, Brandon Nichols grounded a single to left. Hamblen then walked and Graddy blasted a double over the head of Reid Smith, the Tigers’ center fielder. Nichols scored on the play to tie the game at 2.
Tad Beene then drew a walk to load the bases. White followed with a shot to the right of Yancey at third. Yancey speared the hot grounder but threw wildly to the plate. Kevin Littleton, running for Hamblen, scored easily, then Graddy, hustled in when no one covered the plate.
With the infield in, Brown tapped to Arnold at second. Arnold came home with his throw but Beene had gotten such a good jump off third, he scored anyway, beating the throw to make it 5-2.
Morris completed the scoring with an RBI double to right-center.
Central threatened again in the top of the sixth when Acklin reached on an error and, after Muller grounded into a force out, Caudle blooped a single to right. But Wilkerson tapped back to McClellan who threw to third for a force out then Smith bounced to short to end the inning.
In turn, the Hornets greeted Bulloch, the third Central pitcher, with a three-run uprising. White walked then scored all the way from first when Brown’s single to right got past Wilkerson. Morris singled in Brown to make it 8-2.
A base hit by Rose and a walk to McClellan loaded the bases and put the Hornets in a position for a run-rule ending.
But Bulloch retired the next two before Graddy walked to force in a run. He kept the Tigers alive by getting the third out and stranding three.
And Yancey started the seventh with a double. But McClellan got the next three to end the game.
