PARAGOULD — Despite the fact that they were struggling defensively, committing nine errors through six[more] innings, the Sport Shop Black Sox Junior American Legion team of Bryant was tied 6-6 with the team from Dyersburg, Miss., on Saturday at the Dr. Pepper Classic. That’s in large part due to the fact that pitchers Blake Patterson and Austin Caldwell held the Mississippi team to just two hits.
In fact, the Sox led much of the game. It was 5-3 going into the bottom of the sixth when Dyersburg rallied to take a 6-5 lead. Bryant tied it in the top of the sixth. In the seventh, however, a walk, a hit batsman and another walk loaded the bases with two out. The Mississippi team won it on the 10th Black Sox error.
Sport Shop was set to play in the third-place game on Sunday against Cooler, Mo.
Hunter Oglesby and Jimbo Seale each had two hits for the Sox against Dyersburg. Oglesby drove in three runs.
Patterson and Drew Tipton had hits as well.
Patterson worked into the seventh inning allowing just two hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out six.
Dyersburg took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first taking advantage of a walk and two throwing errors. With a runner at second and one out, Patterson plunked the next batter but the Sox turned a doubleplay on a groundball to C.J. Phillips at third to get out of the inning.
It stayed 2-0 until the Sox erupted for four runs in the third. With one out, Dalton Holt was hit by a pitch, Tipton beat out a bunt single and Patterson singled to load the bags. With two down, Oglesby came through with a liner to left for a two-run single that tied the game. Patterson and Oglesby worked a double steal and an errant throw allowed the lead runner to score. Seale then singled in Oglesby to make it 4-2.
Patterson struck out the side around an error in the bottom of the third and fanned two more after a one-out error in the fourth. The Sox got runners on first and third in the top of the fifth but were denied and, in turn, Dyersburg, still looking for its first hit, trimmed a run off the lead in the home fifth with an error, a sacrifice and a sacrifice fly.
Bryant got that run back in the top of the fifth when Seale singled to right and Caldwell, in as a courtesy runner, took second on a sacrifice by Tre Davis. With two down, Justin Emmerling’s fly to center was misplayed and Caldwell came around to score. Emmerling reached second on the play but was stranded.
Patterson retired the first two batters in the bottom of the sixth but then a hit batsman and Dyersburg’s first hit were followed by yet another error, which allowed a run to score. A two-run triple gave the Mississippi team a 6-5 lead.
Bryant’s tying tally came on an RBI double by Oglesby. Tipton had led off the inning with a walk and, with one out, Phillips had been hit by a pitch to set the table for Oglesby. Seale drew a walk to load the bases with one out but Dyersburg’s reliever Gary Hamilton struck out the next two to keep it deadlocked 6-6.
