Senior Sox split double-dip at Sheridan
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SHERIDAN — The Bryant Black Sox and Sheridan McCoy-Tygart Senior American Legion teams split a doubleheader at the Oliver Williams Field on Monday.
The Sox held on for a 5-4 victory in the first game then fell victim to a seven-run second-inning outburst on the way to a 10-2 loss in five innings in game two.
Bryant, now 5-2 on the season, will play in the Chad Wolffe Showcase Tournament in Fayetteville starting Thursday, June 13. The Sox’ 17U team will also compete in the tourney.
After playing without several of its senior players last week, the Sox were without a trio of juniors at Sheridan.
Bryant 5, Sheridan 4
The Sox trailed early, tied the game 3-3 in the top of the fifth and, in the seventh took a 5-3 lead. Sheridan rallied to make it 5-4 in the home seventh. With the potential tying and winning runs on base, Coby Greiner ended the game with a strikeout.
Will McEntire threw three scoreless innings of relief then Slade Renfrow stopped Sheridan for two innings before running into trouble in the seventh and needing help from Greiner who got the save.
Logan Chambers had two doubles for the Sox who managed just six hits as a team.
Sheridan took a 2-0 lead in the first. Bryant tied it in the top of the second when Logan Grant drew a walk and, with one out, so did Renfrow. An errant pickoff throw allowed Grant to score. Brayden Lester doubled in Renfrow.
A hit batsman, a double and a walk loaded the bases for Sheridan in the home second. An error allowed a run to score but when the lead runner tried to tag and score on a fly to right, Lester cut him down at the plate to keep it 3-2. McEntire ended the uprising with a strikeout.
The Sox were unable to take advantage of a lead-off double by Chambers in the top of the third and, despite a hit batsman and a walk with two away, Sheridan failed to tack on in the home half.
Neither team scored in the fourth though Sheridan managed a walk and a two-out single.
Bryant’s tying run in the top of the fifth was scored by Ryan Riggs. Riggs was in for McEntire, who was plunked by a pitch with one out. Chambers’ reached on an error and Riggs scored on a passed ball before Jake Wright singled.
But Wright was caught trying to steal second, ending the inning.
Renfrow struck out two while pitching around a hit batsman and a single in the bottom of the fifth.
Logan Grant singled to open the sixth and Greiner sacrificed him to second but, with two down, Grant was picked off of second.
Renfrow walked the first two he faced in the home sixth. A bunt single filled the sacks but a strikeout, a bunt that resulted in a force at home, and a groundout to Logan Catton at second kept Sheridan off the board.
The tell-tale seventh began with a walk to Ryan Lessenberry. With one out, Lessenberry was forced at second on a grounder to short by Riggs. That’s when Chambers came through with his second double, snapping the tie. Catton’s singled him in to make it 5-3.
Renfrow struck out the first batter of the home seventh. An error, however, extended the inning. A double put the potential tying runs in scoring position and brought Greiner to the mound. A single to right plated a run and sent the second runner to third. But when the batter tried to stretch it to a double, Riggs, who took the late throw to the plate from Lester, relayed to second in time for the out.
Sheridan 10, Bryant 2
In the second game, the Sox managed just five hits while Sheridan racked up 13. The seven-run second included seven hits. A bases-clearing triple was the big blow.
The Sox managed a run in the top of the third. Catton singled and Wright drew a walk. With one out, Greiner walked to load the bases. Riggs grounded to first to get the run home, but the rest were stranded.
Sheridan scored two more in the bottom of the third to make it 9-1. One more came in during the bottom of the fourth when Lester forced Sheridan to strand three.
Bryant’s last chance came in the top of the fifth. With one out, Wright doubled. Grant singled him to third and, with two away, Riggs singled to make it 10-2. A strikeout, however, brought the game to a close.
