Medford’s relief, Sport Shop rally produces victory over White Hall
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).
Ty Medford pitched two scoreless innings of relief after the Bryant Sport Shop Black Sox AA American Legion team scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take an 8-7 lead and the Sox held on for the victory in the first game of pool play at the Peoples Bank Wood Bat Classic Wednesday.
The Sox are scheduled to play Sheridan tonight at 8 then finish pool play on Saturday at 8 against Beebe.
The Sox, now 5-3, rallied from a 7-4 deficit in the fifth. The uprising began with Christian Harp being plunked by a pitch. Matthew Sandidge cracked a double inside the bag at third and, an out later, Myers Buck drew a walk to load the bases.
Cameron Coleman followed with a grounder to second that was misplayed allowing both Harp and Sandidge to score, cutting the lead to one. With runners at second and third, Hunter Oglesby whacked a double into right-center, scoring Buck with the tying run. Joey Cates put the Sox on top with a sacrifice fly.
Medford, who had relieved starter Beaux Bonvillain in the fifth, had surrendered two unearned runs in his first inning of work but finished out by retiring nine of the last 10 White Hall batters in the game.
Bonvillain retired the side in order in the top of the first and his teammates struck for a 2-0 lead in the home half. Oglesby’s one-out single ignited the uprising. Cates and Caleb Chaffin each walked to load the bases for Jordan Gentry. He waited out a walk forcing in Oglesby then Harp rapped an RBI single to left.
White Hall tied it in the top of the second but Bryant came right back and regained the advantage in the home half of the frame. Daniel Darbonne walked, Coleman singled and, after Oglesby sacrificed them to second and third, Cates picked up an RBI with a groundout.
Though Chaffin and Gentry drew walks to fill the sacks again, the Sox were unable to add on.
White Hall tied it with a run in the top of the third then took the lead with two more in the top of the fourth.
The Sox trimmed the margin to 5-4 in their turn in the fourth. Cates belted a one-out triple and Chaffin got him home with a sacrifice fly.
Medford took over in the top of the fifth. A pair of errors and a sacrifice put runners at second and third. One run scored on a groundout, another came home on a wild pitch.
Once again, however, the Black Sox had an answer and Medford, with help from his defense, made it stand up.
