For more photos of this event by Rick Nation, go here
With a heart-pounding 1-0 win in which the potential tying run was thrown out at the plate to end the game, the Cabot Panthers pinned a loss on the league-leading Bryant Hornets on Friday night.
It kept their hopes of a share of the 6A-Central Conference championship alive but, because Bryant defeated the Panthers 7-2 in Cabot earlier this season, the Hornets sewed up the number one seed from the Central Conference to the 6A State Tournament in Fort Smith.
Bryant can clinch an outright league crown with a win over North Little Rock on Tuesday. If the Hornets happened to lose and Cabot closes out with wins over Fort Smith Northside and North Little Rock, the two teams would tie for the league title but Bryant, by virtue of the bigger winning margin in the head-to-head match-up would still retain the top seed.
The Hornets will receive a first-round bye at State. They’ll play Friday, May 14, at noon at Hunts Park.
“I don’t want to back into anything,” declared Hornets head coach Travis Queck. “I don’t want anybody giving it to us.”
North Little Rock, which lost to Bryant 3-1 on Thursday, April 22, suffered a 7-5 loss to Fort Smith Northside on Friday. Those two teams have clinched playoff bids but are vying with each other for the fifth seed.
The pitchers’ duel at Bryant High School Field on Friday was between the Hornets’ Turner Seelinger and Cabot’s Hogan Ralston, in a rematch of the game at Cabot. This time, Ralston, using off-speed deliveries, took a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
In the sixth, Kyler Carmack led off with a double for the Panthers. Jayden Ryals, the clean-up hitter, sacrificed him to third.
Colin Olivi singled in the run.
“Defensively, we executed at times,” Queck mentioned.
He added, apparently regarding the Ryals’ sacrifice bunt, “What was disappointing was, when they did get their run, we were trying to do something that we’d worked on and we were undisciplined in that moment, just on our calls and understanding what to do and when to do it. As a coaching staff, we’ve got to go back and make sure we touch up on those points and talk about the details.”
Courtesy runner Hayden Prewitt was thrown out trying to steal by Bryant catcher Ryan Riggs. That proved to be a big play when the next batter, Eli Hutcherson singled. Seelinger escaped further damage by striking out Zach Hardcastle.
In the bottom of the sixth, Logan White ended the no-hit bid for Ralston with an infield hit into the hole at short.
Queck had Lawson Speer sacrificing and, for a moment, it looked like the Hornets got a big gift as Ralston fielded the bunt and turned to throw to first only to have it ricochet off of Speer and into the outfield. White made it all the way to third on the play.
But the homeplate umpire ruled Speer out for running inside the baseline and interfering with the throw. Runners going to first on such a play are required to run inside the running lane to the outside of the baseline.
With Speer ruled out, White had to come all the way back to first.
Queck argued the call vehemently but to no avail.
“I thought he was in the box (running lane) completely,” he asserted after the game. “In fact, I’m 90 percent sure he was in the box. (The umpire) saw the ball hit the runner and he made the call. I didn’t agree with it.”
That proved even bigger when Riggs lashed a double down the left-field line. Left-fielder Grant Fitch got to the ball in a hurry and kept White from scoring, the first of three crucial plays made by the Cabot outfielder.
Ralston got Davis to ground to third. Hardcastle made the play and chased down White for the second out. With Davis at first, the Panthers issued an intentional walk to Austin Ledbetter, loading the bases for Seelinger. On a 2-2 count, he grounded to short to end the threat.
In the seventh, Seelinger reached his 98th pitch as he issued a two-out walk to Fitch. Will Hathcote relieved and got the final out on a comebacker.
In Bryant’s seventh, Fitch robbed Conner Martin of a hit with a shoestring catch. Garret Wilson grounded to third. But J.T. Parker kept the Hornets’ hopes alive when he ripped a double to left, barely beating Fitch’s throw into second.
Speedy Jordan Knox came in to run for Parker as White stepped to the plate. On an 0-1 pitch, White lined a single over the shortstop’s head. Fitch charged and fired to the plate where the catcher Ryals applied the tag to Knox in time to end the game.
Knox, who didn’t realize how close the play would be, got no help from Bryant’s on-deck batter and came into the plate standing up. Ryals, after making the tag, took exception and got into Knox’ face.
Both benches came onto the field, but the confrontation was cooled by the coaches before much else happened.
“I didn’t expect anything else but that kind of game against Cabot,” Queck said. “I could tell early on they knew it’d be a close game. They were playing for one run, with their short game and everything.
“But I thought our guys fought their butts off,” he added.
“I give credit to their pitcher. He was keeping us off-balance all game. We’ve just got to do a better job with our approach. We’ve got to execute. I thought we gave ourselves a chance the last two innings. But they made the plays and we just didn’t.”
Ralston issued walks to Conner Martin in the second, Noah Davis in the fourth and Garret Wilson in the fifth but the Hornets couldn’t break through with a hit until the sixth.
Seelinger had the Panthers blanked through five frames as well but only had one 1-2-3 inning. He kept battling out of trouble. He worked around a two-out single to Kyler Carmack in the first. In the third, Kolby Webb doubled to the gap in right-center and Braxton Ring beat out a bunt single. Fitch tried to squeeze in pinch-runner Peyton Glover, but Martin hustled in from third, fielded the ball and tossed to Riggs in time for the tag.
Ralston bunted Ring and Fitch to second and third, but Seelinger fanned Carmack to end the threat.
In the fourth, Olivi doubled with one out but Seelinger retired Hutcherson on a comebacker than Hardcastle’s bunt popped up and Riggs ran it down to end the inning.
A one-out walk to Ring in the fifth came to naught as, once again, Seelinger got a big strikeout, stranding a runner at second.
Looking ahead to the North Little Rock game, which will be Senior Night for the Hornets, Queck said, “It’ll be tough. Those guys have got a couple of arms that will keep you off-balance just like (Ralston). They’ll throw strikes and compete in the zone. So, we’ve got to make a quick bounce back.
“But you know what? The way these guys fought right here I think they’re going to attack it. We’ve just got to do a good job as a staff and as a team of coming together and getting it fixed.”
Bryant is now 20-3 on the season, 11-2 in conference play.
