Sox tame No. 5 Bruins too
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
SHERWOOD — Left-hander Anthony Rose out-dueled heralded Sylvan Hills righty Blake Horsman, pitching a four-hitter as the Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team knocked off the Sylvan Hills NIBC Bruins 7-2 Friday night at the Kevin McReynolds Sports Complex.
Rose, who improved to 2-1 on the season, turned in the first complete game of the season for the Bryant pitching staff. He walked just one and struck out four. Only the Bruins’ too-little, too-late run in the bottom of the seventh was earned.
Meanwhile, the Sox pounded Horsman for 11 hits including two each by Billy Landers, J.J. Yant, Logan Critz and Brandon Fitts.
The Bruins came into the game ranked No. 5 in the state in the coaches preseason poll on arkansasbaseball.com.
“Rose pitched an excellent game,” stated Black Sox manager Craig Harrison. “He threw strikes. He mixed it up, threw his breaking ball over the plate — 85 pitches, complete game — you can’t ask for more than that.”
Rose gave up a bunt single to Blake Martin to start the bottom of the first but then retired seven in a row.
The Sox got to Horsman for four runs in the top of the third. Fitts singled to open the inning then Zack Martin walked. Landers then placed a bunt perfectly and beat it out for a hit to load the bases. Kuykendall delivered the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly then Yant chased home two with a double down the left-field line. Critz followed with a single to make it 4-0.
“I’m really proud of this team right now,” said Black Sox manager Craig Harrison. “We walked out there tonight and we were a little ‘iff’ at first. I told the players before the game, ‘Guys, I’m not feeling real well. I’ve got a cold. I had to work all day. I’ve got to work all day tomorrow.’ I said, ‘You guys have got to pick me up tonight.’ We all try to pick each other up. I said, ‘Just get a few hits off this guy. He’s not used to being hit.’ And, sure enough … “
Rose worked around an error, a walk and a two-out single by Justin Heslip in the bottom of the third then the Sox added to their lead.
Fitts, again, was the instigator with a one-out single that was booted in right. He wound up at third on the play and was able to score, an out later, on an infield single by Landers.
In an inning prolonged by a dropped foul pop, Sylvan Hills managed its first run in the bottom of the fourth. Justin Bybee, who benefited from the error, drilled the next pitch fro a double. He advanced on a wild pitch then scored on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Williams.
But that’s all Rose allowed.
And the Sox got the run back in the top of the fifth on consecutive hits by Yant, Critz and Rose. Yant singled, Critz doubled him to third and Rose brought him home with a single to left.
Rose knocked down a liner up the middle off the bat of James Wise to start the bottom of the inning. He threw him out at first on his way to retiring the Bruins in order.
Bryant added another run in the top of the sixth. Martin walked, Kuykendall singled him to third and he scored on a grounder to second by Yant.
Rose shackled the Bruins again in the bottom of the sixth, working around a two-out error. In the seventh, Williams slapped a triple into the right-field corner and scored on a sacrifice fly by Tim Dennis, but Rose struck out Wise and got pinch-hitter Dominique Craft to fly to center to end the game.
The win was Bryant’s third in a row, the second in that run over a ranked team. The Sox took a 5-2 overall mark into Sunday’s game at home against Maumelle.
Comeback effort turns Bryant frustration into 4-1 victory
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
SHERWOOD — The Bryant Black Sox’ A American Legion game against the Sylvan Hills Bruins Friday night had the makings of one of those games that leave a team frustrated, its confidence shaken.
Through four innings, the Sox had stranded six runners, four of them in scoring position. They just couldn’t seem to get a hit in the clutch and they trailed 1-0.
Again, in the fifth, they threatened, thanks to a pair of Sylvan Hills errors and a walk with no one out. Finally, with one down, Zack Dickson came through.
It wasn’t a shot that Dickson would feel compelled to boast about later, but it did the trick. Dickson fisted a bloop single into shallow right-center, scoring Luke Brown with the tying run.
Oh, the Sox still left the bases loaded, but the spell had been broken. After Dickson, in relief of starter Beau Hamblin worked out of a two-out, two-on jam in the bottom of the fifth, the Sox pushed three runs across in the sixth on their way to a 4-1 win.
It was their third in a row, upping their overall mark to 5-2 on the season going into Sunday’s game against Maumelle.
Dickson picked up the win to improve to 2-1 on the season. He and Hamblin combined to limit the Bruins to just four hits in the game.
Two of those came in the bottom of the first when Danny Hurt greeted Hamblin with a single then Marlon Dixon rattled a double to left-center. Hurt tried to score on the play but the Sox worked the relay to nail him at the plate.
The Sox got runners to second and third but failed to score in the second then had them at first and second in the third without pushing one across.
Hamblin, meanwhile, worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the second with the help of a fine play by shortstop Chris Sory on a slow roller by Hurt that ended the inning.
But the Bruins broke through in the third when Dixon walked, stole his way to third and scored on a two-out single by Derek Parks.
Again in the fourth, the Sox got a man to second — Brad Bryan singled and moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Mark Smith — only to come up empty.
In the bottom of the inning, Sylvan Hills put its first three on base but each was erased. An error allowed Brandon Mayden to reach safely to start the inning but he was gunned out trying to steal by Bryant catcher Drew Lawson. Nick Miller then reached safely on a third-strike passed ball. He took second on a wild pitch as John Reynolds drew a walk. But Hamblin picked off Miller. He was caught in a rundown and the Sox executed well enough to eventually track him down but not before Reynolds reached second.
No problem. On the next pitch, Hamblin whirled and picked off Reynolds as well to end the inning with Hurt standing at the plate.
After the Black Sox tied it, Dickson took over and retired the first two he faced before an error opened the door for Sylvan Hills in the fifth. A wild pitch, a walk and a passed ball put runners at second and third. But Dickson struck out pinch-hitter Jason Duncan to get out of the jam.
Bryant’s decisive sixth began with a one-out walk to David Mitchem. He was forced out at second on a grounder to third by Luke Brown but, when the count went to 2-0 on Dustin Morris, Reynolds, the Sylvan Hills starter on the mound, gave way to Justin Parks.
Morris greeted the new hurler with a looping single to right-center that allowed Brown to take third. Morris stole second then Hamblin came through in the clutch with a single. Brown scored to snap the tie. Morris wound up at third and Hamblin at second on the late throw to the plate.
Parks then couldn’t find the strike zone on 3-2 counts to consecutive batters. Ryan Sanders walked to load the bases then Dickson walked to force in a run. Sory also drew a walk to make it 4-1 before Parks gave way to Miller who finally got the last out.
Leaving the bases loaded again, expanded Bryant’s left-on-base total to 12 but when Dickson struck out the side around a single and a walk with two down, those “LOB’s” didn’t seem to be that big a deal.
