After managing one run on one hit in an 11-1 loss to the Cabot RailCats in the first game of a doubleheader Tuesday night at Bryant High School Field, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team spotted the visitors five run in the top of the first inning.
But, with the help of 10 walks, two hit batsmen and three errors, the Sox rallied for a 12-6 win to split the twinbill and run their record to 28-9 going into their regular season finale, a double dip against Russellville on Friday.
The Senior Legion State Tournament beings Friday, July 23, at UCA in Conway.
Noah Davis and J.T. Parker each had two hits for the Sox in the victory. After a rough start for Josh Turner, Colby Morrow relieved and settled things down, holding the RailCats scoreless through four. He surrendered a home run to Jaiden Ryals in the fifth but kept it to that. Hayden Thompson finished up with two scoreless innings.
Three hit batsmen, a single and a walk produced the first two runs for Cabot. With the bases loaded, Morrow came in and surrendered a bases-clearing double to Eli Hutcherson to made it 5-0.
But he ended the inning with a strikeout.
Bryant got two runs back in the bottom of the inning. Ryan Riggs was plunked by a pitch and Davis singled. Both eventually scored on wild pitches by starter Kyler Carmack as he walked Conner Martin and Lawson Speer. Those two were stranded at second and third.
Morrow worked around a pair of walks in the second. With runners at second and third, he struck out Kolby Webb and Jacob Boyster to keep it 5-2.
With Hogan Ralston taking over on the mound, the Sox took advantage of two quick errors that had J.T. Parker and Blaine Sears aboard. Riggs walked to load the bases for Davis, who delivered a two-run double to cut the lead to one.
Riggs came in with the tying run on Martin’s sacrifice fly.
Ralston then walked Morrow, Speer and Logan White to fill the bags. Morrow scored on Gavin Burton’s roller to second then Parker ripped a single to center to complete the seven-run eruption that gave the Sox a 9-5 lead.
Ryals beat out an infield hit, and Wil Camplain singled to right with two down in the top of the third. But Morrow induced a fly to White in right off the bat of Zach Hardcastle to end the threat.
In turn, the Sox tacked on two more. With two down, Morrow walked, and Speer laced a single to left. White hit a chopper to third that was charged nicely by Boyster. But his rushed throw to first was wide of the mark and wound up in the right-field corner. Morrow and Speer scored, and White wound up at third.
Morrow pitched around a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fourth then surrendered the solo shot by Ryals with one down in the in the fifth. Hutcherson followed with a single but Morrow fanned Camplain and got Hardcastle out on a bouncer wide of first that Parker flagged down. He tossed to Morrow covering first to end the frame.
The Sox tacked on in the bottom of the sixth when White hustled to beat out an infield hit with one out, stole second and scored on Parker’s second hit, a shot to right center.
Cabot was retired in order for the only time by Thompson in the top of the sixth. He then worked around an infield hit and a two-out error in the top of the seventh. Speer made a nice running catch in deep center for the second out.
Cabot 11, Bryant 1
Cabot starter Lukas Petross surrendered a lead-off single to Riggs in the bottom of the first then did not allow another hit the rest of the game.
His teammates had given him a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a two-out infield hit by Carmack then two walks and a hit batsman.
Riggs wound up scoring to tie the game. Petross walked Martin and, with two down, struck Speer and White on consecutive pitches to force in the run.
But the Sox only had one baserunner after that. Davis was hit by a pitch to start the third but was erased on a doubleplay. Petross and the Cabot defense retired the last 14 batters in a row.
The RailCats took a 2-1 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Ralston. Hutcherson singled in a run in the third to make it 3-1.
Austin Scritchfield had the big blow in the four-run fourth. He doubled in two and, after Webb singled, scored on a wild pitch. Jackson Olivi had an RBI single.
Caleb Greiner, the third Bryant pitcher, set the RailCats down in order in the fifth but ran into trouble in the sixth as Olivi doubled, Carmack walked and Scritchfield doubled. Kaden Smith added a sacrifice fly.
Martin relieved in the sixth and pitched well. Retiring three in the sixth then giving up an unearned run in the seventh.
