Morris leads rout of Stuttgart
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STUTTGART — Dustin Morris had three hits including a grand slam and drove in seven runs as the Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team blasted the Stuttgart Ricemen 14-5 Wednesday, May 24.
Morris cracked a two-run single in the third, blasted his bases-loaded homer in the fourth and added an RBI double in the sixth.
Lefty Brad Chism picked up his second win of the season with some late relief help from Ryan Sanders as the Sox improved to 4-1.
A six-run fourth in which Tad Beene and Michael McClellan belted solo home runs to go with Morris’ slam, broke the game open.
Stuttgart had taken the lead in the bottom of the second using an infield hit, a stolen base and another infield hit to set up a stolen run. The second base runner broke off first and drew a pickoff throw as the lead runner scored.
But the Sox gained the advantage in the top of the third thanks in part to a fielding error by Stuttgart on a drive to right by Chris Sory. Sean Sebourn followed with a walk. An out later, Matt White grounded into a force at second, beating the return throw to first and keeping the inning alive. After White swiped second, Morris delivered a two-run single.
Chism worked around a pair of Bryant errors in the bottom of the inning then the power display began. Beene got it started with a one-out shot to left-center. Consecutive singles by Sory, Sebourn and Chism loaded the bases and, after White popped out, Morris unloaded with a shot to left. McClellan then capped the onslaught by mashing one to dead center, his second homer in as many nights.
A walk, a double and a groundout produced Stuttgart’s second run in the bottom of the inning and it stayed 6-2 until the sixth when, with two out, White drew a walk then scored all the way from first on a double to right-center by Morris.
Stuttgart took advantage of an error with four hits to plate three runs in the bottom of the sixth. The inning ended when, on a relay from Beene in left to Sory at short to catcher Beau Hamblin, the Sox gunned down a runner trying to score from first on a double.
Bryant responded with a five-run seventh. Anthony Rose walked, Hamblin singled and Beene was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Sory who drew a free pass to force in a run. Cody Graddy followed with a two-run double.
The bases were jammed again after Sanders was hit by a pitch. With two down, McClellan wrapped up the scoring with a two-run single.
Sanders worked around a hit batter in the bottom of the inning to close out the victory.
