Price, Wood lead Bryant past Sheridan
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
SHERIDAN — For junior Daniel Price, on the mound, and sophomore Travis Wood, at the plate, the 2003 baseball season didn’t start out so well.
In his first two outings — in Bryant’s first two games — Price was victimized for seven runs in 4 1/3 innings, issuing eight walks including six in one two-inning stretch against Lake Hamilton.
Wood, in 13 at bats over the first seven Bryant games, had managed just two hits (though he had worked for eight walks).
But both Bryant Hornets players stepped up in their team’s 12-4 win over the Sheridan Yellowjackets on Thursday, March 20.
Price was almost unhittable in five innings of relief. He allowed just one hit, walked one and struck out seven. After coming in for starter Josh McClellan in the bottom of the third and quieting a Sheridan rally, Price retired the first 10 batters he faced.
Wood busted loose with a three-hit game in which he also scored three runs.
Those were just two of the highlights in a game in which 11 different Hornets hit safely and nine different players scored.
A.J. Nixon, Korey Hunter and Dustin Easterly each had two hits for Bryant.
Between them, McClellan and Price only allowed four Sheridan hits. The Bryant duo actually did more hitting themselves. McClellan struggled with his control. He walked two and struck five batters in his two-plus innings of work. Price also hit a batter along the way.
The Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the first when A.J. Nixon led off with a walk, swiped second and scored on a triple by Hunter, who followed him home moments later on a wild pitch.
In the bottom of the inning, McClellan retired the first two he faced then hit Zac Chumney on a 1-2 pitch. After Russ Carey walked, Bradley Blackstock cracked a double to left-center. Chumney scored and Carey tried to but the Hornets worked a perfect relay from center fielder Todd Bryan to shortstop Justin Wells to Easterly at the plate to nail him and end the inning.
The Hornets responded with a four-run second instigated by Travis Wood and Easterly. Wood singled up the middle and stole second. Easterly then placed a bunt perfectly and beat it out for a hit. Courtesy runner Richie Wood swiped second then followed Travis Wood home when Bryan’s pop to shallow left was dropped.
Nixon kept the inning going with another bunt single. Hunter bounced into a force out but Peeler delivered an RBI single to make it 5-1. An out later, B.J. Wood smacked a single up the middle to chase Hunter home.
In the bottom of the second, McClellan again retired the first two with ease then struggled to finish the inning off. Matt Weigand beat out an infield hit then Brooks Rieve and Matteo Vannucci were hit by pitches to load the bases. But McClellan recovered to get Myers to bounce to third for a force to end the inning.
Wells walked and Travis Wood singled to open the top of the third. With one down, Bryan grounded out and both runners advanced. Hustling all the way, both runners scored moments later when Nixon beat out a single that was knocked down in the hole at short.
Leading 8-1, McClellan ran into more trouble in the third, this time from the outset. He hit Chumney again, surrendered a single to Carey, then walked Blackstock and hit Chase Buie to force in a run.
Price came on and got the next two batters to ground out. A run scored on each. He then fanned Rieve to end the inning.
Sheridan didn’t get another batter on base until a one-out walk in the sixth.
The Hornets, meanwhile, tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth when Travis Wood doubled and scored on Easterly’s second hit. Zack Young beat out an infield hit then Nixon walked to load the bags. Hunter’s tap in front of the plate resulted in a 2-3 doubleplay but Young scored, moments later, on a wild pitch to make it 10-4.
In the seventh, the Bryant reserves continued to join in the fun. With one out, Bryan Griffith beat out an infield hit. With two out, Daniel Minton singled up the middle and, after both moved up on a wild pitch, Andrew Norman drilled a two-run double to complete the scoring.
Chumney managed the only hit off of Price as he singled to open the bottom of the seventh but the Bryant right-hander struck out the next two then finished the game by getting Buie to fly to Bryan in center.
The win improved the Hornets to 7-1 on the season, pending a ruling on a rain-affected game against Conway on Tuesday, Mar. 18. The game was stopped after 3 1/2 innings with Conway leading 7-0. It has yet to be determined if the game will be picked up where it left off or will have to be played over from the start. A ruling from the Arkansas Activities Association was being sought on the matter at presstime.
