EMERSON, Ga. — The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team traded rallies with Training Camp Baseball of Lavergne, Tenn., before the two teams settled for a 5-5 tie to complete pool play in the 18-and-under division of the Perfect Game-East Cobb Invitational wood bat showcase on Saturday.
The Sox completed pool play 1-0-2 and was set to play a consolation game on Sunday against Recruits Baseball Club Gold of St. Louis.
The first five innings of Saturday’s game were scoreless as Bryant’s Evan Lee dueled Training Camp’s Canaan Owens. The Sox broke through with a run in the top of the sixth when Lee cracked a two-out solo homer.
In the bottom of the inning, however, Training Camp’s Mitchell Lovell led off with a single to right, just the fourth hit of the game against Lee. An error allowed Garrett League to reach. An infield hit by Bryce Lester loaded the bases for Baylor Steelman who got a bunt down to bring in the tying run.
With one out, they Sox caught courtesy runner Brendan Willis trying to steal home. The other two runners moved up to second and third so, with a base open, the Sox issued an intentional walk to Jake Hammon, a shortstop that has committed to Morehead State.
But the Tennessee team got a big hit from Tyson Orr, who tripled to clear the bases, giving his team a 4-1 lead going into the seventh and final inning.
The Sox, however, answered with four of their own to gain a 5-4 lead. Lovell, on in relief of Owens, issued a walk to Dylan Hurt and, with Seth Tucker in as a pinch-runner, he stole second. Lovell retired the next two batters but a walk to Drew Tipton kept the inning alive for Brandan Warner, who stroked a line-drive single up the middle to drive in Tucker.
A wild pitch allowed Tipton and Warner to move up to second and third, bringing up Blake Patterson, who drilled a triple to tie the game.
Jason Hastings walked and Lovell issued an intentional pass to Lee to load the bags. But Misenheimer burned that strategy, as Orr had, by grounding a single up the middle to drive in Patterson, making it 5-4. Hastings tried to score as well but was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Training Camp tied it with a double by Brady Estese, a groundout then a sacrifice fly by Tyler Wagner. Jason Alvis singled but Warner, the third Bryant pitcher, ended the inning and the game, as it turned out, by getting Lovell to fly out.
