The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team handed the Texarkana Red River Credit Union Razorbacks their first loss of the season but, in turn, the Hogs came back in the second game of their Zone 4 doubleheader, to become just the second team in Arkansas to hand the Sox a loss.
Bryant won 9-6 in the opener then Texarkana prevailed 8-2 and, with the larger margin of victory, probably picked up a No. 1 seed from the league to the Senior American Legion State Tournament starting Friday, July 15, in Conway.
The Sox, now 22-7-1 overall, will battle Little Rock Post 1 in a doubleheader on Tuesday, July 12, at Bryant High School Field with the No. 2 seed on the line.
Friday’s double-dip wrapped up the regular-season schedule for Texarkana, 24-1.
The archrivals are annually among the best teams in the state and figure to vie for a State title again this year. As usual, the make-up of the teams is completely different. The Sox’ players are all from Bryant while the Razorbacks team is basically an all-star squad of players from southwest Arkansas. Only four of the 19 on the squad actually live in Texarkana. That’s more typical of the Senior Legion teams in Arkansas (like Fort Smith and Jonesboro). It’s Bryant that’s unusual in its make-up.
Bryant 9, Texarkana 6
The Sox struck for five runs in the bottom of the first on their way to the opening victory. They got to right-hander Logan Vidrine, a star at Taylor High School this spring. They added four more in the fourth to knock Vidrine out the box. Justin Swecker of Texarkana finished the game on the mound for the Hogs.
Meanwhile, Bryant’s Alex Shurtleff, making his first start in a while, allowed a run in the top of the first then blanked Texarkana until the sixth when a five-run rally cut into the margin before Seth Tucker relieved and closed out the win for a save.
Texarkana’s first-inning run was the result of singles by Matt Goodheart of Magnolia and Cole Boyd of Horatio. The duo worked a double steal to get the run home.
Shurtleff walked Parker Ribble of Magnolia but then retired the next three, two on strikes.
In the bottom of the inning, Logan Allen was drilled by a 3-2 pitch from Vidrine. He stole second and, with one out, sprinted home on Garrett Misenheimer’s RBI single.
A walk to Austin Kelly was followed by Jordan Gentry’s single to load the bases for Jake East. He drew a walk to force in a run, giving Bryant the lead for good.
Tucker followed with a sacrifice fly to right. Kelly tagged and scored as Gentry tagged and headed for third. Texarkana first baseman Will Smith cut off the throw from right and whipped a throw to third, trying to catch Gentry but the throw was late and wild. Gentry scrambled home to make it 4-1.
Moments later, Aaron Orender singled in East. Joey Cates lined a single to right to put runners at the corners but Vidrine got Allen to fly to center to end the inning.
Shurtleff pitched around a two-out infield hit by Riley Orr (Springhill, La.) in the top of the second then, with the help of a nice play by East at short, set down the Hogs 1-2-3 in the third.
In the top of the fourth, the Bryant right-hander drilled Beau Burson (Smackover) with two down but ended the inning by inducing a comebacker from Vidrine.
The Texarkana hurler retired seven in a row going into the bottom of the fourth. Orender ended that string with a single to lead off the fourth. Cates was hit by an 0-1 delivery then Allen beat out a bunt single to load the bases for Dylan Hurt, who cleared them with a triple to the gap in left-center.
Misenheimer walked then a wild pitch allowed Hurt to score as Gentry was working a two-out walk.
Shurtleff retired the first two in the top of the fifth before surrendering a double to Boyd. But Ribble fouled out to Shurtleff to end the frame.
Swecker, who came in to get the third out in the fifth forcing Bryant to strand runners at the corners, set down the Sox in short order in the home fifth.
In Texarkana’s sixth, a one-out walk to Nick Myers (Nashville) started a rally. Austin Stubber (Hope) and Burson each singled to produce the first run. Swecker worked a walk then Orr delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 9-3.
Goodheart cracked a two-run triple and, with 99 pitches in the book, Shurtleff gave way to Tucker. He was greeted by Boyd’s RBI single but fanned Ribble to keep it 9-6.
Swecker excaped a second-and-third jam in the bottom of the sixth but, in the top of the seventh, Tucker put the game away, finishing with a strikeout.
Texarkana 8, Bryant 2
Razorback pitchers Austin Cross (Ashdown) and Stubber combined to issue nine walks to the Sox with a hit batsman, but Bryant could only muster three hits.
A six-run third put Texarkana in the driver’s seat. Goodheart had three hits including a pair on bunts and Orr added a pair of knocks.
Bryant stranded the bases loaded in three innings, struggling to get a clutch hit.
The Sox took a 1-0 lead in the first but it could’ve been so much more. Allen drew a lead-off walk and Hurt drilled a single inside the line at third. Allen raced to third and, when he drew a throw, Hurt hustled into second.
A walk to Kelly loaded the bases. With one out, East came through with a shot to the gap in right-center that was nearly caught on a diving attempt from Blake Hall (Magnolia) in center. Allen scored but, uncertain about whether the ball had been caught or not, Hurt hesitated and Kelly actually started back to first. But, by that time, East was flying, with designs on a double or triple. In the process, however, East passed Kelly on the bases. Hurt tried to score but was thrown out at the plate. The out resulting from East passing Kelly between first and second ended a promising inning.
Texarkana tied it in the bottom of the first when Goodheart beat out a bunt, took second on a wild pitch, stole third and scored on Hall’s sacrifice fly.
Bryant loaded the bases in the second but continued to be frustrated as Cross wriggled off the hook. The lefty proceeded to retire six in a row before issuing a lead-off walk to Scott Schmidt in the fifth. Allen reached on an error and, with one out, Kelly walked. But, again, the clutch hit did not come. A strikeout and a groundout ended the inning with Texarkana leading 7-1.
The Razorbacks had opened up that lead with a six-run third. Vidrine walked and Orr slapped a hit-and-run single to right. A bunt hit by Goodheart loaded the bases for Boyd, who walked to force in the go-ahead run. Hall singled up the middle to plate Orr.
Orender, the Sox starter, made a bid to end it there with Bryant trailing just 3-1 when he struck out Smith and induced what looked like it might be a doubleplay ball from Myers. But the ball was bobbled just momentarily. Bryant got the force at second but the relay to first was late.
The result was four additional runs. Goodheart came in on the force out then Stubber beat out an infield hit to pick up an RBI, making it 5-1. Orender was a strike from getting out the inning at that point but his 3-2 delivery to Burson was knocked to deep center for a two-run double.
Orender went on to shut out the Hogs in the fourth and fifth. The Sox made one more bid to whittle into the lead in the home sixth. With two down, Joey Cates worked a walk and Misenheimer slashed a pinch-hit single to right. Allen worked a walk to fill the bags then Hurt walked to force in a run.
But Stubber escaped further damage with a strikeout.
The bottom of the sixth was noteworthy because Zach “Panda” Jackson took the mound for the first time this summer. Burson walked and Ribble sacrificed him to second. Orr beat out a bunt hit then when he stole second and drew an errant throw, Burson scored to make it 8-2.
Jackson appeared to find his stride at that point. He fanned Goodheart and Boyd at the top of the Texarkana batting order, to send the game to the seventh.
Stubber, however, retired the side in order, getting the last two outs on strikes.
