Young, Bennett hurl AAA Sox past HS Village
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be 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
Allen Young and Daniel Bennett combined to limit the Hot Springs Village Knights to just four hits and a single unearned run as the Bryant Bowen-Hefley Black Sox AAA American Legion team opened the 1999 season with a 7-1 victory at Ashley Park.
All seven of Bryant’s runs came in the fourth inning when they collected four of their six hits to take advantage of a pair of errors by Hot Springs Village and fit of wildness by Knights’ starter Keith Barrett.
Billy Landers and Kris Kuykendall each contributed key two-run hits in the inning.
It was a pitching duel between Young and Barrett until that point. Hot Springs Village managed its lone run in the top of the third when Chris Simmons walked, Justin Thompson singled for the team’s first hit and, with two down, a throwing error allowed the run to score.
But Young worked out of the jam by striking out Barrett to strand runners at the corners.
Barrett started to get a little shaky in the bottom of the third when he hit Brandon Fitts and J.J. Yant with one down. But the Knights turned a double play to get him out of the jam.
In the top of the fourth, the Knights loaded the bases with one out. A bunt single by Josh Ursery, a solid single up the middle by Ryan McKinney and a walk to Chris Simmons did the trick.
But Young got out of it by striking out Andrew Moore on three pitches then coaxing a fly to right by Justin Thompson.
In turn, the Black Sox broke up the duel.
“When you play a team like (Hot Springs Village), you’re going to see their best pitcher,” noted Bryant manager Craig Harrison. “Usually, a small town has one guy that can throw. And you could see, the first couple of innings (Barrett) threw the ball pretty good. Then, he got tired and he got a little flustered with his control.”
Barrett hit his third batter, Josh Caldwell to start the fourth. He then walked Anthony Rose. Travis Lawhon followed with a bunt that he beat out for a hit and when the late throw from first baseman Joe Cutrer to Barrett at first evaded the pitcher, Caldwell hustled home with the tying run. Rose wound up at third and Lawhon took second when Barrett’s throw to the plate couldn’t be controlled by Gill, his catcher.
Young walked to load the bases then a wild pitch allowed Rose to score. An out later, Landers lashed a single up the middle through the drawn-in infield to make it 4-1.
A single by Brandon Fitts kept things going. Yant walked to load the bases then, on a 1-2 count, Kuykendall cracked a two-run double down the line in right to make it 6-1.
That spelled the end of Barrett’s moundwork. Nathan Nabors relieved and uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Yant to come home with the seventh run.
An error got Young into some hot water in the top of the fifth. He then surrendered a single to Gill which brought Harrison out of the dugout to get him.
But the manager had nothing but praise for his lefty.
“The key to the ballgame was the way Allen Young pitched,” Harrison stated. “He got out of that bases-loaded jam with one out when we were still down 1-0 and he kind of lifted us. You could see it really lift us when we came off the field.”
Bennett relieved and retired eight in a row before a two-out error in the top of the seventh. Unfazed, he then retired Barrett on a liner to Caldwell in right to end the game.
“I was pleased with the first game with the new bunch,” Harrison commented.
The Black Sox return to action this Friday against North Little Rock at Burns Park. The game should commence around 8:30 p.m., following an A contest.
