SPRINGDALE — The Bryant Black Sox opened the 2021 Chad Wolfe Classic showcase tournament with a pair of wins, one a blowout and the other a nail-biter on Thursday at Tyson Park Field.
Against Kickapoo of Springfield, Mo., the Sox opened with a 17-0 win in which Blaine Sears and Braxton Prather combined on a four-inning two-hitter supported by a 16-hit attack that included three hits apiece by Ryan Riggs and Noah Davis.
Later, the Sox edged Next Level 18U, 5-4, rallying for four runs in the top of the sixth to wipe out a 4-1 deficit.
Riggs had two more hits including a homer. Ethan Andrews also had a pair of knocks while a quartet of pitchers combined for Bryant. Tyler Bates and Brandon Thomisee accounted for four innings of shutout relief with Bates picking up the win and Thomisee earning a save.
Bryant is set to play today, wrapping up pool play against Adidas Academy 18U at the Rogers Heritage high school field.
Bracket play commences on Saturday.
Bryant 17, Kickapoo 0
The Sox had a 3-0 lead going into the third inning when they erupted for seven runs. Seven more in the fourth made it a 15-after-3 run rule game.
Two runs scored in the first when Riggs walked and, after moving up to second on a groundout by Conner Martin, scored on a single by J.T. Parker. Colby Morrow, who had walked before Parker’s knock, moved up to third when Lawson Speer drew a free pass. He scored on a wild pitch.
After Sears eased through a 1-2-3 home first, the Sox tacked on in the second. Riggs’ two-out single led to the run. He stole second then Davis singled in the run.
Kickapoo’s lone hit against Sears was a two-out triple in the bottom of the second but the runner was stranded when the Sox’ right-hander induced a groundout to Parker at second.
Parker’s one-out single started the third-inning eruption. He stole second then took third on Speer’s single to center. Logan White got a squeeze bunt down to make it 4-0.
Andrews accelerated the inning with an RBI double and, with two down, Riggs and Davis provided RBI singles. Martin was then hit by a pitch to load the bases and Morrow was struck by a 1-0 delivery to force in a run.
Davis scored to cap the inning on a wild pitch as Parker drew a walk.
Sears pitched around a two-out walk in the bottom of the third then the Sox revved it up again on offense, starting with White reaching safely on a booted grounder to second. Andrews walked and Sears chased in a run with a double.
Riggs singled in Andrews then Davis’ blooped a single to right, taking second on a throw to the plate. Martin lined a single to left to make it 14-0. Morrow picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly.
After Parker singled, White’s infield hit plate resulted in an errant throw that allowed Martin to score. Andrews capped the eruption with an RBI single.
Prather pitched the bottom of the fourth and fanned the first two batters he faced. An error and a single followed but a third strikeout ended the game.
Bryant 5, Next Level 4
Bryant’s sixth-inning rally began with a walk to Morrow. Drew Hatman came on as a pinch-runner but remained at first as Next Level recorded two outs. But an error extended the inning as White reached. Andrews grounded a single to left and the bases were loaded for Sears, who drew an RBI walk. A wild pitch allowed White to score then Riggs yanked a single to right to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs.
Thomisee took over on the mound in the bottom of the inning. On an error, a single and a walk, Next Level loaded the bases with two out before Thomisee ended the threat with a strikeout.
After the Sox were unable to take advantage of a single by Morrow and a walk to Parker in the top of the seventh, Thomisee struck out the first two in the bottom half. A pair of singles but the potential tying and winning runs on base but the Sox right-hander ended the game with another strikeout.
Next Level had staked out a 2-0 lead over the first two innings. White and Andrews had singled in the top of the second, but both were stranded.
In the third, Riggs led off with a big fly, clearing the fence in center to make it 2-1.
But Next Level countered with a pair of runs with the help of an outfield error.
Will Hathcote, on in relief of White pitched a 1-2-3 fourth and, after the Sox were retired despite a single by Sears and Davis getting hit by a pitch in the fifth, Bates relieved and fanned a pair in a scoreless bottom of the inning, setting up the Black Sox’ rally.
Bill
How did they finish?