SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The top-seeded Sandlot Sox 17U team hit the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team with five runs in the bottom of the first and the Sox never quite recovered as their work at the MidAmerica Premier showcase tournament came to an end with a 10-2 loss on Sunday morning.
Bryant rallied for two runs in the top of the second but could never cut further in the lead, which Sandlot extended with three in the fourth and two in the sixth.
The Black Sox, now 21-9 are scheduled to play again on Tuesday against Cabot before beginning play in the Senior Legion State Tournament in Conway on Friday.
Bryant threatened in the top of the first when Logan Catton was hit by a pitch and Cade Drennan singled him to third. But a strikeout and a grounder to third turned back the threat.
The first three Sandlot players singled, producing the first run. A balk made it 2-0. A walk and an error followed to make it 3-0 then N Wohlgemuth singled in the fourth run. An error made it 5-0 before Bryant’s hard-luck starter Logan Grant got C Hill to pop out then struck out M Pennington.
Grant led off the second with a single but was caught stealing before Brayden Lester was hit by a pitch. With two down, Slade Renfrow walked, and Logan Chambers doubled to drive in both runners. A strikeout left Chambers stranded at third.
Grant retired Sandlot in order in the bottom of the second and then again in the third.
A lead-off single by Grant started the fourth. He advanced to second on a passed ball but was thrown out trying to steal third. A strikeout ended the inning.
In the home fourth, a hit batsman and a pair of walks set up a three-run uprising. A run scored on a groundout then, with two down, J Crull tripled to make it 8-2.
Renfrow was struck by the second pitch of the fifth, took second on a wild pitch but got no further.
Grant rebounded to retire the side 1-2-3 in the bottom of the fifth. But the Sox just couldn’t generate much offense. Grant reached on a two-out error in the top of the sixth but was left aboard.
Two more runs for Sandlot in the bottom of the sixth ended the game as an eight-after-five run-rule.
