Senior Sox walk it off in pool play opener
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Photo courtesy of Debra Catton
ROGERS — Logan Catton scored on a sacrifice fly by Scott Schmidt as the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team walked off with a 3-2 win over Precision Baseball to open pool play in the 17/18 Division of the Chad Wolfe Classic at Veterans Park in Rogers on Friday.
Schmidt, who went the distance on the mound, picked up the victory as well. Over seven innings, he allowed Precision’s two runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts.
He and Catton each had two hits as the Sox accumulated seventh knocks.
Bryant was set to play the Arkansas Anglers to continue pool play later in the day. On Saturday, the Sox take on YBC 17 at Fayetteville High School, then finish their pool at the University of Arkansas’ Baum Stadium against Perfect Timing 17 Red on Sunday morning.
Catton led off the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single. Coby Greiner’s bunt went for a hit as well then Logan Chambers drew a walk to load the bases for Schmidt who produced the game-winner on a fly to center.
The game would’ve ended in a tie had the Sox not scored.
Both teams scored a run in the second and in the fifth. Precision threatened to take the lead in the top of the seventh. A single, a sacrificed and another hit had runners at the corners. Precision tried a suicide squeeze play but the batter missed the bunt and the runner at third was caught in a rundown and tagged out.
With the trail runner at second, Schmidt got the final out on a fly to Myers Buck in right.
Precision took a 1-0 lead in the top of second on a single, a pair of groundouts that got that runner to third, and a two-out double.
In the home half, Cade Drennan drew a one-out walk. Buck doubled, sending courtesy runner Konnor Clontz to third. With two away, Catton singled to drive in Clontz before Buck was throw out trying to score from second.
Precision’s second run was a result of a lead-off single in the fifth, a groundout and an RBI knock to right. The batter tried to stretch it into a double but was thrown out on a nice relay from Buck to Brandon Hoover at first to Logan Chambers covering second from his shortstop position.
The first two batters of the home fifth flew out but Chambers singled. A balk allowed him to get into scoring position for Schmidt, who doubled to knot it 2-2.
