Young, Brown shackle MNB
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
Over the course of a 50-game American Legion season, there are going to be opportunities for everyone on a team to contribute.
Thursday night at Ashley Park, the Bryant Black Sox AAA team needed quality innings because of a weary pitching staff and got them from starter Allen Young who came through with his best performance of the young season. Young, much-used himself so far this season, needed some relief and got it from Joey Brown, taking the mound in a game for the first time in two years.
The Sox also needed a clutch hit to help break open the game in the late innings and got it from third baseman Zack Martin who, batting for the first time in a AAA game, contributed a walk, a vital sacrifice bunt and a clutch RBI single that opened the door for a six-run sixth inning that turned a 3-2 Bryant lead into a 9-2 victory over Malvern National Bank.
“The lovely thing about Legion baseball is that it takes everybody,” noted Black Sox manager Craig Harrison. “Because you play so many games, you don’t get into this two-games-a-week deal where you throw the same two or three pitchers every game and play the same basic lineup every game.
“I thought Allen threw a really good game for five innings,” Harrison said. “He had one little stretch, but he worked himself out of it. Joey came in and did a wonderful job, threw 14 pitches in two innings, threw strikes and Zack came through with a big base hit that gave us some insurance.
“That’s what it takes. It takes more than nine or 10, it takes a whole team. I’m really proud of my group right now. We’re starting to play a little better.”
Young retired the first seven batters he faced in the game and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth.
The Sox had given him a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Kris Kuykendall walked, J.J. Yant singled, and Anthony Rose walked to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Kuykendall to score just before Josh Caldwell drew another walk.
Young’s “rough spot” came in the top of the third when he issued consecutive one-out walks to load the bases. Kendrick Bishop grounded into a force out at second as the tying run scored then Young struck out Jason Dyer to end the threat.
The Sox took the lead back in the bottom of the inning. Yant walked then went all the way to third when Logan Critz’ grounder to short was botched. He scored on a wild pitch.
Daniel Ashcraft, the Malvern starter on the mound, broke up Young’s no-hitter by leading off the fourth with a single. Ryan English followed with a bloop double to right then a balk allowed Ashcraft to come home with the tying run. But, with English at third with the potential lead run, Young struck out the side to leave it tied.
Young then turned the tables on Ashcraft by cracking a double to left-center to start the bottom of the fourth.
Brett Davis relieved for Malvern as Martin came to the plate. Martin got a sacrifice bunt down, however, to move Young to third and, when Davis committed a balk, in he came with the tie-breaking tally.
A one-out double by Brent Wheatley had Young in hot water again in the top of the fifth, however. Bishop singled him to third then Dyer walked to load the sacks. But Young got Ashcraft to bounce to third. Martin fielded the grounder and threw home for a force. English followed with a grounder towards second that hit Ashcraft for the third out.
Davis, however, retired the Sox in order in the bottom of the inning.
Bryant, in turn, brought on Brown.
Black Sox assistant coach Tic Harrison had worked Brown out on the mound a few days before in hopes of coming up with a surprise addition to the pitching staff for the second year in a row. Last year, Brad Chapman, who hadn’t pitched in a few seasons, played a key role as a pitcher for the Sox in a similar situation.
And Thursday, Brown came through.
“I was thinking about pitching (Daniel) Bennett for an inning,” Craig Harrison related, “but Tic told me, ‘Hey, if we’re going to do it, now’s the time. Go get Joey.’ And sure enough, two years in a row, Tic’s right on the mark.”
“I was ready for it,” Brown said after the game. “I was wanting it. I was ready to step up. (Harrison) said that we were real short on pitching and we’re just looking for somebody.
“It felt great,” Brown added. “I just threw fastballs, just tried to throw strikes and get the game over. I think it helped to have a lefty in there for five innings before me.”
“I threw pretty good,” Young allowed, “but our defense did a lot of it. I felt like we played pretty good. I was just trying to throw strikes and keep the ball down.”
Brown had the Malvern batters off strike. They cued consecutive grounders to first then Brown worked around a two-out error and got the final out in the sixth on a grounder to Kuykendall at short.
The Sox then busted the game open with their six-run sixth. Caldwell laced a double to right to start the uprising. Brandon Fitts walked then they worked a double steal. With one out, Martin cracked an RBI single up the middle in his first official at bat of the season to make it 4-2.
A wild pitch allowed Fitts to score as Billy Landers walked. With two out, a walk to Yant loaded the bases. Critz and Anthony Rose followed with back-to-back two-run doubles to complete the outburst.
Brown surrendered one-out singles to Bishop and Dyer in the top of the seventh but got Ashcraft and English each to tap back to the mound to finish off the victory and his first Legion save. Young improved to 2-0 on the season as the Sox upped their ledger to 4-2.
“It’s fun when you win,” Craig Harrison declared.
