Clutch hitting, pitching lift Bryant to win
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
SPRINGDALE — It may be a way of keeping calm or it may be a nervous thing. It could just be a habit. Casey Grisham tosses the baseball with his left hand and catches it as he walks back up on the mound or around the mound after getting the ball back from his catcher. It’s not a high toss — although at one point during the tense seventh inning of the Bryant Hornets’ game with the Springdale Bulldogs on Thursday, March 24, he tossed it up a little higher and caught it with his glove instead of his bare hand.
It could be, in fact, be a little annoying to the hitter. Tough luck if it is.
In a way, however, it’s a reminder that this baseball, it’s still a kid’s game and even at it’s most intense, it should still be fun. (Of course, if the big lefty tossed the ball up, dropped it and kicked it far enough away for baserunners to advance, it would knock a whole heck of a lot of the fun right out of the proceedings.)
Anyway, Grisham was doing his toss in the bottom of the seventh against Springdale and, if it was nerves, you could understand.
He entered the game with the Hornets clinging to a 3-1 lead. Springdale’s Bulldogs had runners at first and third, so the potential winning run was at the plate with no one out.
And the intensity ratcheted up a little more when, in the process of walking Shea Tedford, a pitch got away from catcher Aaron Davidson allowing a run to score, making it a one-run game.
But Grisham got lead-off hitter Jeremy Houchin to pop up a bunt for the first out of the inning, then induced a groundball from Blake Doty that the Hornets nearly turned into a game-ending doubleplay. But Doty barely beat the play at first to keep the inning alive. Damian Williams, the tying run, moved to third and Springdale’s best hitter Josh Fields came to the plate.
Grisham and Fields battled for awhile as Fields spoiled a number of two-strike deliveries. Grisham struggled to control his usually snappy curveball and the count ran to 2-2. But, on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, Grisham broke off his curve just right. Fields hit a two-hopper to Zach Young at third base. Young threw to first and the Hornets had the win.
It was Grisham’s second save of the season. This time in relief of Justin Wells who had shackled Springdale on just two hits over the first six innings before giving up a double and a single to start the seventh. Wells fanned seven and walked just two in his six innings, earning his fourth win in six decisions this season.
Both hurlers came through in the clutch and that was the best description of the Bryant offense. Bryant took the lead with one out in the top of the first on a solo homer by Travis Wood, his team-leading third of the season. In the third, Todd Bryan drew a walk, stole second, took third on a wild pitch but remained there until, with two outs, Davidson pulled a single into the hole on the left side to give the Hornets a 2-0 lead.
Springdale scratched out a run in the bottom of the inning. After shortstop Danny Riemenschneider robbed Houchin of a lead-off hit, Doty and Fields cracked consecutive singles. Wells and the Hornets had a shot at getting out of the inning when Thomas Hauskey grounded to the right of Bryan at second, a potential doubleplay ball. But, in the dusk, Bryan didn’t get a good look at the ball off the bat and his delayed reaction allowed the ball to get through. Doty scored to make it 2-1.
Wells and the Hornets’ defense then retired nine in a row before a one-out error in the sixth allowed Will McGinnes to reach base. But, after Richie Wood tracked down Russ Greenlee’s long fly to center for the second out, Davidson threw out pinch runner Nathan McCarville trying to steal to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Bryant added a vital insurance run that proved to be the difference in the game. Bryan Griffith led off the inning with a single, took second on a sacrifice bunt by Riemenschneider then scored on a clutch double over the center fielder’s head by pinch-hitter Devin Hurt.
Andrew Norman doubled and pinch-hitter Lowell Ridings singled to open the bottom of the seventh against Wells. That brought about the pitching change and the dramatic finish.
The Hornets improved to 10-5 with the win. Springdale fell to 9-6. In a pre-season poll in XtraInnings magazine, the Hornets were ranked No. 1 and Springdale No. 2 in the state.
