Wolves get another dose of Wood
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 — The Lake Hamilton Wolves would just as soon they didn’t see the Bryant Hornets and junior left-hander Travis Wood again this season.
The Wolves opened the season against the Hornets on Feb. 23. Wood and right-hander Justin Wells combined on a no-hitter in a 16-0 win in five innings. Lake Hamilton not only didn’t get any hits, every out the Bryant pitchers recorded came on strikeouts.
On Saturday, March 6, the two teams met again in the opening round of the extended Sheridan Tournament. And there again to greet them was Wood, who along with Wells was an all-State performer as a sophomore a year ago. The lefty’s fastball was clocked over 90 miles per hour on that opening night in February and, according to head coach Terry Harper, he may have been throwing harder on Saturday.
Well, Lake Hamilton got a hit. But just one, a slap single to right by Eric Montgomery with one out in the bottom of the first. Wood struck out 15 and walked just two in a 10-0 win in six innings. Both runners that got on base via walks were picked off by Wood so he wound up facing one over the minimum.
The Hornets needed just six hits themselves against three Lake Hamilton pitchers who combined to walk 14 while the Wolves were committing seven errors.
The Hornets got 19 players into the game. Bryan Griffith had two hits.
Lake Hamilton’s lone hit came just moments after their fans erupted in applause after Montgomery fouled a pitch off. In fact, Wood was so impressive his very first pitch drew an audible response from the Lake Hamilton fans.
Bryant got all the runs it would need in the first inning when Todd Bryant walked, stole second, took third on an errant pickoff throw and scored on Griffith’s two-out single up the middle.
Three more scored in the second after Korey Hunter reached on an inning-opening error. Dustin Easterly sacrificed and, while Bryan walked, Hunter came around to score on a pair of wild pitches. Bryan then scored all the way from first on a blast to left-center by Wells that went for a double. Wells wound up at third on the late throw to the plate. An out later, Griffith walked then broke for second forcing Lake Hamilton pitcher Bryson Ferrell to balk, bringing Wells in to make it 4-0.
In the third, Dustin Tinkler beat out a bunt single. Wood sacrificed and drew a wild throw to first that, with the wide open spaces down the lines at Sheridan’s Oliver Williams Field, allowed Tinkler to circle the bases and Wood to reach third. He scored moments later when Easterly’s bouncer to short drew a bad throw to first.
A three-run fifth made it 9-0 as the Bryant reserves got in on the fun. Walks were issued to Andrew Moseley, Morgan Garner and Travis Queck and, with two down, Casey Grisham, forcing in a run. Daniel Price followed with a grounder to third. Asher Bradley tried to go to second for a force out but threw wildly and both Garner and Queck scored.
Bryant put the finishing touches on the run-rule win in the top of the sixth. Josh Groves and Queck drew walks then Aaron Davidson beat out a slow roller for a hit to load the bases. Price drew a two-out walk to force in the final run.
