FAYETTEVILLE — Ryan Riggs went 3 for 3 and Noah Davis was 2 for 2 as the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team earned its second win of the season, 7-3 over the BTL Hornets 17U team from Shawnee, Kansas near Kansas City. The game opened the annual Chad Wolff Classic in northwest Arkansas.
Unfortunately, in a second game on Thursday, the Sox absorbed a 5-1 loss to the Sandlot Tulsa 18U team.
Pool play was set to continue on Friday.
Bryant 7, BTL 3
The Black Sox broke open a 3-3 game with a four-run sixth then Tyler Bates, on in relief of Blaine Sears, fanned two in a shutout seventh to earn a save.
The game-breaking outburst began with Sears reaching base on an error by the BTL shortstop. Ethan Andrews sacrificed and reached safely on an error by the first baseman. Coby Greiner sacrificed successfully to put runners at second and third then Davis drew a walk to load the bases for Riggs, who singled to right to drive in two.
And when the throw back to the infield went awry, Davis sprinted home as well to make it, 6-3. Cade Drennan followed up with a sacrifice fly and Logan Catton doubled to drive in Slade Renfrow who was running for Riggs.
Sears pitched around a two-out double in the first then the Black Sox grabbed a 1-0 lead on singles by Davis and Riggs and a one-out squeeze bunt by Catton.
The Sox turned a doubleplay to erase a lead-off single in the top of the second but then they were unable to take advantage of a lead-off single by J.T. Parker in the bottom of the inning.
BTL tied the game with a run in the top of the third. A single, a stolen base and a two-out knock produced the run.
Bryant regained the upper hand in the bottom of the third. Once again, Davis and Riggs each singled. Drennan’ sacrifice fly snapped the tie and, with two down, Peyton Dillon singled in another tally to make it 3-1.
BTL tied it in the top of the fifth on a pair of walks, a double steal and a two-out single.
Tulsa 5, Bryant 1
A pair of Tulsa pitchers held the Black Sox to one unearned run on six hits. The Sandlot built a 4-0 lead through five innings. Bryant scratched out a run in the sixth, but the Tulsa team got that run back in the top of the seventh.
Bryant got the first two aboard in the bottom of the seventh as Brayden Lester singled and Greiner walks, but a pair of strikeouts and an infield pop ended the game.
Sandlot took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. A second run scored in the top of the third. Both came on two-out singles.
A two-run fifth made it 4-0. Again, a two-out hit hurt the Sox.
Drennan singled to start the bottom of the sixth. Renfrow ran for him and advanced to second on a groundout by Catton then third on a grounder to short by Dillon. When a third strike got past the catcher and Parker reached, Renfrow scored the lone Bryant run.
