King, Littleton put stops on Stuttgart
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By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Chance King and Kevin Littleton combined on a five-inning four-hit shutout with nary a walk issued as the Bryant Black Sox AAA American Legion team ran their record to 9-0 on the season Thursday, May 31, with an 8-0 win over the Stuttgart Ricemen at Bryant High School Field.
King, working on a pitch count, allowed a two-out single in the first and a base hit with one out in the second. He retired the first two in the third then gave up a bloop single to Stuart Huskyn. After Huskyn swiped second, Taylor Helms singled him to third. But Bryant catcher Beau Hamblin cut Helms down trying to swipe second to end the threat.
Bryant led 3-0 at that point. Littleton relieved and retired all six batters he faced and the Sox made it an eight-after-five run-rule win with a five run fifth.
Just about everyone on the Sox roster got into the game.
Bryant scored single runs in each of the first three frames. In the first, Jordan Davis lashed a double to right, went to third on a bloop single by Chris Sory and scored on a passed ball.
After a walk to Michael McClellan, Stuttgart’s lefty starter Trevan Johnson struck out the side. He would fan eight in his four-plus innings.
In the second, Derek Chambers drew a lead-off walk for the Sox. Cody Dreher’s dribbler in front of the plate was fielded by Johnson but his throw to get the force at second was off the mark and both runners were safe. Scott Yant then got down a well-placed sacrifice bunt and when Moore, the first baseman, couldn’t handle Johnson’s throw, the bags were full.
Johnson came back to fan the next two but McClellan, who leads the team in walks, drew his second of the game to force in a run and make it 2-0.
After King worked out of trouble in the third, the Sox added their third tally. Two-out walks to Chambers and Dreher set the table for Yant, who stroked a single up the middle to drive in the run.
The clinching fifth-inning uprising began with a bloop single to center by Cody Graddy. With Graddy on the move, Matt Lewis cracked a single. Dreher chased both runners home with a double down the right-field line to chase Johnson.
After a pitching change, Yant got another RBI with a grounder to short, making it 6-0.
With the bases clear, Matt White worked for a walk from Helms, the Stuttgart reliever. Morris then cracked a triple to the gap in right-center. The game ended when McClellan’s grounder to second was played to first allowing Morris to score the eighth run.
