SPRINGDALE — The Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team and right-hander Will McEntire were a strike away from a 1-0 win on Thursday at Arvest Stadium in the first game of pool play at the Perfect Time Showcase.
McEntire has blanked Millhouse Baseball of Kansas City on seven hits to that point. The seventh hit was a line drive single to left to start the top of the seventh. But McEntire got the next batter to pop out to Logan Catton at second. A sacrifice bunt got the runner to second. The count went to 2-2 to the next batter who hit grounder up the middle for an RBI base hit that tied the game 1-1.
McEntire ended the frame with a strikeout.
In the home half, the Sox were retired in order and the game went to extra innings.
The Millhouse eighth began with a tap back to McEntire on the mound. An infield hit put the potential go-ahead run on base. An error put two aboard then a bunt single loaded the bases.
A sacrifice fly gave Millhouse the lead then another sacrifice fly made it 3-1.
And the Sox were unable to put anything together in the bottom of the inning as they absorbed a tough loss.
Bryant continues pool play on Friday at 9 a.m., against the Perfect Timing 15 Blue team at Prairie Grove High School.
On Thursday, the Black Sox were held to four hits with Logan Chambers accounting for two of those.
The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when Chambers beat out an infield hit and took second on a late and errant throw to first. A wild pitch allowed him to take third. After Jake Wright flew out to shallow center, Coby Greiner lofted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 1-0.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the seventh. McEntire had pitched around a pair of singles in the first, a one-out single in the third and another one-out knock in the fourth. A lead-off single in the first was erased when the batter tried to stretch it to a double and was thrown out by Cade Dupree in right. A bunt single followed but the Sox turned a doubleplay to end that threat.
McEntire issued his first walk to start the top of the sixth but picked off the man at first. After a strikeout, another walk led to a steal of second but a comebacker to McEntire ended that threat.
Bryant had a chance in the bottom of the first when Chambers and Wright singled with two down but they were stranded.
After the Sox took the 1-0 lead, they got a runner in scoring position in the sixth when Catton singled up the middle with one out and a pair of wild pitches got him to third. He was left aboard, however, as Millhouse escaped.
