COLUMBIA, Tenn. — The Bryant Black Sox and the Pontotoc, Miss., Red Sox have a history. And, as might be expected, it has had its up and its downs. It’s been mostly respectful but it’s also been chippy. Both are proud American Legion programs, perhaps the most successful in recent years from their respective states.
There have been summers in which the Black Sox got the best of the Red Sox — they’re meetings have mostly come at the annual Twin Lakes Classic in Mountain Home — but this season, so far, the Mississippi team has gotten the better of it.
At Mountain Home, it was Pontotoc that ended Bryant’s stay in the first round of the single-elimination championship tournament that followed pool play. And, on Saturday, the Red Sox once again spoiled the Black Sox’ bid for a tourney title, bouncing Bryant from the championship round with a 6-3 decision.[more]
As one observer noted, “There’s a big difference between 19-year-olds who have played a year of college and 17- and 18-year-olds.”
Still, the Black Sox had knocked off a mostly 19 team in the host Columbia, Tenn., squad during their 4-0 sweep of pool play. And they had their pitching lined up for a run at the Independence Day Classic. Ace Ben Wells and effective No. 2 Blake Davidson were rested but Pontotoc, a team laden with college or college-bound talent, scored six runs on seven hits including four for extra bases in five innings against Wells before Davidson finished with two scoreless innings of relief, though the Red Sox threatened.
Bryant managed seven hits against Pontotoc’s Nathan White but stranded 10.
The Red Sox jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first on a single, a stolen base that drew an errant throw and a one-out hit by Lee Wilson.
In the bottom of the inning, Jordan Taylor singled with one out then Landon Pickett walked. A wild pitch allowed them to advance to second and third but White fanned Brennan Bullock to escape with the lead. That was the second of the Pontotoc hurler’s eight strikeouts in the game.
An error, a passed ball and a two-out triple by nine-hole hitter Phillip Tice gave Pontotoc a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.
Wells worked around an error in the third, thanks, in part, to a pick-off play. In the fourth, however, a one-out walk sparked Pontotoc’s big inning. Jake Smithy bounced a single through the left side and, after Wells struck out Jay King, Tice drilled an RBI double to right. Lead-off man Jeremy Ferguson followed with a two-run double to the right-center gap, making it 5-0.
The Red Sox made it 6-0 with another run in the top of the fifth. Wilson led off with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, White worked around a two-out walk to Caleb Garrett in the third. In the fourth, Pickett, who was on base all four times he came to the plate including twice on hits, singled to center. Bullock walked but a bunt to the left side by Castleberry was fielded by White who got a force at third. Wells singled to load the bases but when, after Dylan Cross popped to second, Bullock tried to score on a short passed ball only to be tagged out by White covering the plate.
Comebacks had marked the Black Sox’ work at the Classic, however, and when they broke through in the fifth, the pattern appeared to perhaps be continuing.
Tyler Brown’s single started the inning. Two outs later, Bryant got a break to extend the inning when Jordan Taylor reached on an error. Pickett then drilled a double to the fence in left to chase both of them home.Davidson relieved in the top of the sixth and, with one out, Pontotoc loaded the bases on a pair of walks and a single by Ferguson. But the right-hander escaped by striking out Zach Chavers and Wilson to keep it 6-2.
And the Black Sox rallied again in the bottom of the inning. Castleberry singled, reached third on a pair of passed balls and, with two down, scored when Brown reached on an error. And when Chris Joiner walked and Garrett singled, the bases were loaded with the potential lead run in scoring position. But White escaped again by striking out Taylor.
A lead-off single in the top of the seventh was erased by a nice doubleplay turned by the Black Sox but, in the bottom of the inning, they could only managed a lead-off walk to Pickett as White closed out the win by getting Bullock to bounce into a force the inducing flyballs to the outfield by Castleberry and Davidson.
The Senior Sox, now 14-10 on the season, are off until Friday when they visit Zone 4 rival Benton. In the meantime, the Junior Sox were set to begin District Tournament play in Sheridan on Monday, July 5.
