AAA Sox make most of Conway gifts
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
Uncharacteristic errors had the Bryant Blacksox AAA American Legion team in danger of losing their first game of the season on Thursday, May 29. But patience, a timely hit or two and tough pitching helped the Sox stave off the challenge of the Conway Rockies and extract a 6-3 win.
The Sox, who improved to 7-0 with the win, managed just four hits but three of them drove in runs as Conway pitchers issued 11 walks and the Rockies committed three errors.
Still, the Sox needed some late-inning heroics to post the win. With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the fourth, Todd Bryan stroked a lead-off double down the left field line. It was Bryan’s second hit of the game, the only hits Conway pitchers Clay Vann and Zack Ake had allowed to that point.
B.J. Wood followed with an RBI single to snap the 3-3 tie. After Jeff Carpenter reached safely on an error, Derek Chambers grounded a single up the middle to plate Wood.
Bryant starter Daniel Price, who had pitched out of a jam created, in part, by two errors behind him in the fourth, protected the lead in the fifth with the help of his defense. Wood, at second base, made an eye-popping play to rob Richie Irvin of a hit to lead off the fifth then Price worked around a two-out walk to preserve the lead.
The Sox added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth as Conway’s third pitcher Brandon Solberg walked four to force in a run.
Bryan then relieved for the Sox and breezed past all six batters he faced to pick up the save in his first mound appearance of the season.
The Sox had taken the lead initially with a three-run second. Walks to Scott Peeler and David Moore set up the inning. Bryan then singled in a run. Walks to B.J. Wood and Carpenter forced in a second run.
Conway got back into the game with a two-run third featuring doubles by Jordan Moix and Irvin. But, with Irvin on second, two in and one out, Price shut things down getting Greg Kuykendall to fly to center then striking out Tyler Mattox.
The Rockies’ tying rally in the fourth opened with a walk to Steve Chandler. An out later, a dropped flyball kept the inning going. Price struck out Moix and should’ve been out of the inning. Instead, he had to face Cole Vann who slapped a single up the middle which was misplayed in the outfield as Chandler scored the tying run.
13-run inning lifts AA Sox past Conway
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
“From small things, big things one day come.” For the Bryant Blacksox AA American Legion team, however, it didn’t take that long.
Trailing 7-3 to Conway’s Log Cabin Democrat, the Sox had hopes for a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning when Josh Groves and Korey Hunter drew lead-off walks. Leadoff man Dustin Tinkler was up next and went to third base coach Michael Mitchell to find out if the bunt was on. Tinkler was thinking sacrifice, but Mitchell suggested that the right bunt might be good for a basehit.
And sure enough, Tinkler got a perfect bunt on the ground rolling up the third-base line. He beat it out for a single, loading the bases.
An out later, Richie Wood blooped a single to right center and the Sox were on their way to turning a defeat into a romping win. They scored 13 times in the inning and rolled to a 16-9 victory over the Newsmen.
Andrew Moseley went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs to lead the Sox. Tinkler and Wood had two hits each.
Moseley had the big hit of the big inning. With the bags packed, he sliced a single to right that was misplayed, clearing the bases and giving Bryant the lead, 9-7.
John Newman followed with a single to bring Moseley home. Walks to Groves and Hunter loaded the bases again and Tinkler singled in a run.
Zach Young followed with a grounder to third but Landon Ezell’s throw to second for a force was wild and two more came home. Wood singled in a run then Moseley capped things off with his second RBI single of the inning.
Colby Landers, who pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief earned the victory.
Conway had taken the lead with a two-out uprising in the first, scoring four times after two were out. Bryant starter Kyle Weatherly was just a strike away from getting out of the inning when he hit Grant Garlington with a pitch. A double, another hit batter, a single and a triple followed.
Bryant responded with a three-run inning starting with a one-out single by Zach Young. With two down, Jake Dove was hit by a pitch. Both wound up scoring on Hunter Nugent’s long single to right-center. When the relay to third was too late to catch Dove, Nugent drew a wild throw back to second as he advanced. Dove scored and Nugent wound up at third. Moseley followed with the first of his three singles, making it 4-3.
But Conway got those three runs back in the top of the third to take apparent control of the game. Another hit batter, a balk and a single produced one run Three walks followed forcing in a run then Landers unleashed a wild pitch to allow another.
