Black Sox AAA improves to 8-0
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).
Some may decry the fact that the Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team only managed five hits against the rival Benton Fitness Unlimited club on Monday night. But you wouldn’t want the Sox batters to be expanding their strike zone and chasing bad pitches, forming bad habits. When you’re disciplined at the plate — as you should be — and the other team isn’t throwing strikes, you’ll draw walks — oh, say 10 or so. And, with 10 walks, five hits — at the right time — are plenty.
They were for the Black Sox Monday as they spoiled Benton’s debut with a 9-6 win. It was Bryant’s eighth straight win to start the season.
Michael McClellan, Bryant’s collegian, picked up his first win of the summer on the mound, working four innings. He scattered seven hits, surrendering four runs — only one earned — walking two and striking out five. Scott Yant relieved in the fifth and struck out six in three innings. He walked one and gave up a couple of runs on three hits.
Bryant took control of the game in the bottom of the first inning. McClellan had worked around a Jamie Fugitt double and a walk to Drew Kurosaki in the top of the inning. Bryant’s first eight batters then reached base with seven of them scoring.
Benton starter Josh Griffen walked the bases full then consecutive singles by Matt Brown, Beau Hamblin and Cody Graddy fueled the onslaught. Matt Lewis grounded to short but an error prevented an out as another run scored and all hands were safe. Chris Sory’s bouncer to third was misplayed then Benton finally recorded an out. But Matt White’s fly to center was dropped as Lewis scored to make it 7-0.
Bryant returned a few of those favors in the top of the second, committing a trio of errors that prolonged the inning. The difference? McClellan didn’t lose sight of the strike zone — no walks.
John Vanderbush reached on a miscue to start the inning, advanced to second on a passed ball and to third on a wild pitch as McClellan struck out Jacob Jones. But another error allowed Vanderbush to score and Brian Greer to reach base. The third boot put Jesse Westbrook aboard and brought up the top of the order. Fugitt, Clint Phifer and Nathan Nalley each singled to bring in two more runs and load the bases. But McClellan struck out Kurosaki, the clean-up hitter, then got the final out as Steven Tharp grounded into a force at second, preserving the lead.
Benton whittled another run off the lead in the top of the third and, again, Vanderbush was the instigator with a lead-off double. Jones walked but then McClellan retired the next two before Fugitt, on his way to a 4-for-4 game, came through with a clutch RBI single to make it 7-4.
The Black Sox got that run back, however, in the home half of the inning. With one out, White cracked a double to left-center. He took third on a wild pitch as Dustin Morris and McClellan drew walks. White scored when Matt Brown grounded into a force at second but beat the play at first to avoid an inning-ending doubleplay.
McClellan worked around a one-out single by Kurosaki in the fourth, finishing up with a flurry, fanning Tharp and Vanderbush.
Yant then struck out the side in the fifth and, in the bottom of the inning, the Sox added a run to the lead. Walks to White and McClellan set up the inning but White was gunned out trying to steal third. McClellan moved up on the play, however, then advanced on a wild pitch and scored when Brown’s grounder to short was botched.
Yant surrendered Fugitt’s fourth hit in the top of the sixth but the Sox turned a doubleplay. A walk to Nalley and a single by Kurosaki ratcheted up the tension, however. And both scored when Tharp drilled a triple. Yant ended it there, though, striking out Vanderbush. He would fan the first two in the seventh as well before ending the game by getting Tim Shipp to bounce to Sory at third.
