RUSSELLVILLE — Trailing 3-0 since the first inning, the Bryant Black Sox rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh inning then held off a rally by the Russellville Pirates in the bottom of the inning to post a 6-4 win in the first game of a doubleheader at Hickey Park on Wednesday.
In the nightcap, it was Russellville that rallied. After Bryant had erased a 7-2 deficit to take a 9-8 lead. Russellville pushed across two runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 10-9 walk-off win.
The results left the Senior Sox 17-8 on the season going into the Battle in Arkadelphia this weekend.
Bryant 6, Russellville 4
The Sox had been shut out on two hits through six innings. Blaine Sears had singled in the top of the third and Lawson Speer singled in the top of the fourth. In the top of the sixth, Ryan Riggs reached on an error and Noah Davis was hit by a pitch. With two out, they moved to second and third on a wild pitch, but they were stranded.
The game-breaking seventh began with a one-out single by Gavin Burton. Sears walked then so did Ethan Andrews. Riggs picked up an RBI when his grounder to short resulted in a force at second.
Davis followed with an RBI single to make it 3-2 and, after Conner Martin beat out an infield hit to load the bases, Colby Morrow drilled a double to left to clear them. He scored to make it 6-3 on Speer’s base hit to left.
Hayden Thompson became Bryant’s fourth pitcher after Brandon Thomisee, Tyler Bates and Caleb Greiner in the bottom of the seventh. A hit batsman and a walk gave the Pirates a chance but a fly out to Speer in center and a pop to Morrow at first put the Sox an out away from the win.
Another walk and a wild pitch allowed a run, however, before Thompson induced a grounder to Davis at short for the final out.
Russellville had scored three times in the bottom of the first on four singles.
Russellville 10, Bryant 9
The Sox appeared to have a 9-8 win in hand when, with two out and two on, a fly to right was misplayed. Both runs scored as the Pirates walked off with the victory.
It was the second Bryant error of the game, which also featured eight walks and six hit batsmen by a quartet of Sox pitchers. Russellville was held to six hits.
Bryant, meanwhile, hammered out 12 knocks including two each from Logan White, Martin, Sears and Drew Hatman. Both of Martin’s hits were doubles. White had a double and a triple.
Martin’s first two-bagger came on the heels of a one-out double by Davis in the first inning. Russellville countered with two runs in the bottom of the first. The uprising started with a walk and a hit batsman.
In the second, a pair of walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with two out. A double scored three and a single made it 6-1.
Martin’s second double came with one out in the top of the third. He reached third base on a passed ball and scored on Morrow’s grounder to the right side.
Russellville used two walks and a two-out single to get that run back in the bottom of the inning.
Bryant began to whittle on the 7-2 deficit in the top of the fourth when White led off with his triple to right and scored on a sacrifice fly by Sears.
Hatman, on in relief of White, pitched a scoreless bottom of the fourth, working around a one-out error.
Martin walked with one out in the top of the fifth. Morrow followed with a single then Speer grounded into a force at second. With runners at the corners White burned the centerfielder for a two-run double that cut the margin to 7-5.
Morrow relieved in the bottom of the inning and, despite a walk and another hit batsman, kept the Pirates from adding on.
And the Sox rallied to take the lead in the top of the sixth. Singles by Sears and Hatman were followed by a walk to Riggs to load the bases with no one out. After a pitching change, Martin delivered a run with a sacrifice fly. With two down, Morrow walked to fill the sacks again and Speer came through with an RBI single to tie the game. Riggs scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch before a strikeout ended the uprising.
But two walks and a pair of hit batsmen allowed the Pirates to tie the game. Sears relieved and the Sox turned a doubleplay to keep it even.
With one out in the top of the seventh, Sears singled and Hatman walked. Riggs came through with a lined single to left. Though Sears was thrown out at the plate, the Pirates tried to relay to second to try to catch Riggs advancing only to throw the ball away allowing Hatman to score the go-ahead run.
Sears retired the lead-off man in the bottom of the seventh then struck a batter with a 1-2 pitch. A single followed. A fly to right got the second out as the runner at second tagged and went to third. A stolen base put runners at second and third. Another fly to right followed and when it was misplayed, Russellville came away with the win.
