FORT SMITH — The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team got the delayed 2020 baseball season started on Saturday with a pair of games in the Katzer Round Robin Classic at Hunts Park.
The absorbed losses in each game, falling to Three Rivers 6-3 and to the Fort Smith Sportsman team, 4-2.
Today, they were set to play Texarkana at 11:15 a.m., then Bartlesville, Okla., at 3:45.
Three Rivers 6, Bryant 3
Logan Catton had two of the Sox’ four hits including a triple. Noah Davis and J.T. Parker each had singles.
Three Rivers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the second and the Sox got their runs to tie it in the bottom of the inning. But single runs in the third, fifth and sixth provided the difference for Three Rivers while the Sox were shut out the rest of the way.
Bryant got work on the mound from five pitchers. Peyton Dillon worked the first two frames followed by Logan White, who pitched three innings. He took the loss surrendering two runs on four hits. Blaine Sears, Tyler Bates and Josh Turner closed the game out.
Dillon worked around a one-out single and a walk in the opening inning. He fanned two.
In the home half, the Sox were unable to take advantage of Catton’s one-out triple. Cade Drennan hit a shot that was speared by the first baseman for the second out.
A pair of singles and walk with one out in the top of the second set the table for the three-run uprising for Three Rivers.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, Ryan Riggs drew a walk. An errant throw on a pickoff attempt allowed him to race to third. With two out, Coby Greiner was struck by a pitch and Lawson Speer drew a free pass to load the bases.
A walk to Davis forced in a run and a free pass to Catton made it 3-2. Drennan waited out a walk to make it 3-3 but the Sox were unable to get the big hit that could’ve made it a bigger inning.
Three Rivers snapped the tie in the top of the third. Parker singled to start the bottom of the inning, but Bryant was unable to take make anything out of it.
A lead-off homer in the top of the fifth made it 5-3. A clutch two-out RBI single accounted for the sixth run in the top of the sixth.
Meanwhile, Davis singled in the bottom of the fourth for the Sox but was stranded as was Riggs, who walked with two down in the bottom of the fifth.
In the sixth, Speer was hit by a pitch with one out. Davis grounded into a force at second then Catton single on a looper to right. The throw to the plate kept Davis from scoring but it allowed Catton to take second. And when Drennan walked, the Sox had the bases loaded. But a strikeout ended the threat.
In the seventh, the third Three Rivers pitcher struck out the side to end the game.
Fort Smith 4, Bryant 2
The Sox outhit the Sportsman team 8-4 but couldn’t scratch out any runs until the sixth inning. By then, Fort Smith led 4-0 including three runs scored in the fourth.
Cade Drennan had two hits including a double. Davis doubled as well. Catton had two more knocks. Dillon and Riggs contributed singles and Parker came through with a sacrifice fly.
Bryant stranded eight baserunners.
Will Hathcote started the game and blanked the Sportsman through three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. Fort Smith scratched out an unearned run in the fifth against Catton. Greiner worked a scoreless sixth.
Both teams had a single in the first. After Fort Smith’s with one out in the bottom of the inning, Hathcote and the Bryant defense retired eight in a row. Two singles and a triple blew up that run to start the fourth. An error allowed the third run to score.
The Black Sox had baserunners in every inning. In the second, Parker was hit by a pitch but was stranded. Greiner was plunked to start the third but was erased in a doubleplay.
Drennan opened the top of the fourth with a single. Blaine Sears came on to run for the catcher, advancing to second on an errant pickoff throw. Dillon’s pop up fell for a hit but Sears had to stay at second. A wild pitch moved them up to second and third, but they were stranded there. Parker made a bid for a hit, but his liner was caught at third. The next two batters fanned.
Greiner singled with one out in the top of the fifth but was left aboard. In turn, Fort Smith used a one-out walk and a two-out misplay in the outfield to make it 4-0.
A double by Drennan started Bryant’s sixth. Sears, in to run again, advanced to third when Dillon bounced out to the pitcher. Parker followed with his sacrifice fly.
The Sox might’ve gotten more. Riggs singled and Dakota Clay reached on an error only to have a strikeout end the threat.
In the seventh, Davis laced a one-out double to left, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Catton’s single to left. After a wild pitch allowed Catton to move to second, however, Fort Smith set down the next two, ending the game.
