Pitching continues to impress, Hornets whip Plum, Pa., again
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TAMPA, Fla. — Taking advantage of six walks and five errors with five well-timed hits, the Bryant Hornets, in another of a series of well-pitched games, posted a 9-1 win over the Plum, Pa., Mustangs on Thursday. It was the second game between the two teams on the day at the Tampa Bay Spring Training event.
Evan Lee, Chase Tucker and Harrison Dale combined on a three-hitter continuing Bryant’s dominating work on the mound in the Classic. The Hornets have allowed just three runs in the seven games they’ve played so far, while the offense has posted 89 runs.
Lee, a junior lefty, allowed just one hit in four shutout innings to start the game. He fanned two. Tucker allowed only a walk with two strikeouts over two frames then Dale finished it, allowing a run on two hits in the seventh.
Tucker, Drew Tipton, Trey Breeding, Korey Thompson and Dalton Holt had the hits for the Hornets. Thompson’s was a double.
Bryant grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first. Ezell reached on the first Mustangs’ miscue and raced to third when Tipton slapped his single to right. The duo worked a double steal, with Tipton taking off and drawing a throw allowing Ezell to slide home.
Tucker beat out a bunt for a single and, after Tipton scored on a passed ball, Breeding singled Tucker in from second.
Lee worked around a single in the first and an error in the second. With the last two outs of the second, the lefty retired the last eight batters he faced.
The Hornets tacked on two in the top of the third. Tucker was hit by a 3-2 delivery to lead off the inning. He stole second then went to third on Breeding’s bunt which was misplayed by the Plum pitcher. A squeeze bunt by Jason Hastings made it 4-0. Holt followed with a single through the left side of the infield to chase in Breeding.
Thompson’s two-bagger opened the fourth. He took third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Ezell. Tipton took one for the team, Tucker walked and, after a double steal, both scored when Hastings’ grounder to second was botched.
With an 8-0 lead, Tucker breezed through his two innings allowing only a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fifth.
That came after the Hornets made it 9-0 in the top of the inning. With two down, Ezell walked, stole second, took third when Tipton reached on an error and scored when the duo worked another double-steal.
A triple, a walk and a single produced the Mustangs’ lone run in the bottom of the seventh before Dale recorded the final two outs forcing them to strand two.
The win improved the Hornets to 13-2 on the season.
