Sox capture Senior Zone title behind Dale, bats
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Photos by Rick Nation and Kevin Nagle
Harrison Dale improved to 6-0 on the season. (Photo by Rick Nation)
Right-hander Harrison Dale may miss the Senior American Legion State Tournament next week because of surgery on his nose, which was broken when he was hit in the face by a pitch in the final game of the Southwest Illinois Firecracker Classic on July 5.
In the meantime, however, he returned to the mound for the first time when he started the Bryant Black Sox’ opener in the Zone 4 District Tournament at Bryant High School Field on Saturday. His two innings went well as he held Little Rock Post 1 to one hit while striking out three in what turned into a 25-2 rout for the Sox.
On Monday, he was back out there in the championship game of the tournament and proceeded to shutout the Red River Federal Credit Union Razorbacks of Texarkana on three hits over six innings. And, despite surrendering a couple of runs, he closed out the 15-2 victory, improving his own record to 6-0 on the season and lowering his earned run average to 2.04, as the Sox notched their 37th win in 41 games this season.
They will be a one seed at State, which starts this Saturday in Bryant. Texarkana, which lost 6-4 in a tight game against Bryant in the winners’ bracket final on Sunday, will be the number two seed from Zone 4.
“Last night was the kind of game we needed to play before State,” said Sox manager Darren Hurt after Monday’s win. “We got pushed and behind and kept fighting and clawing and got it done in the end.”
Regarding Dale, he related, “I really wanted him to get the ball today because I told him I was going to give it to him in the District championship game. It’s a bad situation, the year he’s had and not getting to pitch in a State tournament. He’s down and we wanted him to get to do that. He’s done it all year for us. It was a gutsy effort.”
Second baseman Korey Thompson fires to first after getting a force on Jackson Murphy (4). (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Chances are, if the Sox can win the State title, Dale could return for the Regional that begins Aug. 7, at either Hendrix College in Conway or Burns Park in North Little Rock.
The District tourney was reminiscent of 2013 when the Sox beat out Texarkana in the winners’ bracket final then won for the title only to suffer a deeply disappointing loss to the Razorbacks in the State finals in Mountain Home, a scenario they hope to avoid this year.
“That’s what we just talked about,” said Hurt after the game. “District went exactly like last year, a hard-fought game that goes to the end and we pull out a ‘W’ in a tough one then come out and run-rule them the next time out. Then we go to State and we didn’t quite get it done. That’s what we talked about and I think we’re in a good state of mind going into it. I think we’re ready to go.”
Chase Tucker went 3 for 3 with a pair of triples. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
Actually, Texarkana nearly blew its chance to return to defend its State title earlier on Monday when their 9-3 lead over the Little Rock Post 1 Vipers disappeared in the eighth inning. With just one infield hit, the Vipers used four walks, three hit batsmen and a pair of errors to score six times to tie it. They actually left the bases loaded in the inning. The Razorbacks took advantage of the fact that Little Rock’s pitching was pretty thin by then, scoring seven in the top of the ninth to avoid the upset.
The Black Sox opened the nightcap with a four-run burst that put the weary Hogs on their heels. Trevor Ezell singled then Texarkana lefty Blake Bearden issued walks to Drew Tipton, Blake Patterson and Hayden Lessenberry to force in a run. Chase Tucker drove in a run with a single then Patterson scored on a wild pitch. Brandan Warner was robbed of a hit by shortstop Nathan Stubber but he got the RBI as Lessenberry scored.
Lessenberry would go on to drive in five runs in the game, going 2 for 3. Tucker was 3 for 3 with two walks and two triples, knocking in a trio of runs. Justin Emmerling added a pair of hits as did Korey Thompson.
In the second, Thompson drilled a double into the corner, just missing a home run. Ezell walked and, with one out, so did Patterson, forcing a pitching change. Caleb Stutts relieved and got Lessenberry to ground into a force at second. He legged it to first and beat the throw avoiding the inning-ending doubleplay, which allowed Thompson to score.
Hayden Lessenberry drove in five runs. (PHoto by Rick Nation)
Dale, meanwhile, worked around a two-out single in the first and an inning-opening error in the second. Dylan Silvey singled with one out in the top of the third but was thrown out trying to steal by Lessenberry. Dale fanned Jake Alexander to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth, Lessenberry singled with two out and sprinted home when Tucker plugged the gap in left-center for his first triple.
With a 6-0 lead, Dale gave up a one-out single to Jackson Murphy in the bottom of the fourth. Moments later, however, he induced a doubleplay ball out of Landon Russo to send it to the fifth.
Bryant blew the game up at that point, scoring seven times. When Stutts issued walks to Warner and Emmerling to start the inning, he gave way to Alexander. Thompson beat out a perfect bunt for a hit to load the bases for Ezell. Alexander issued RBI walks to Ezell and Tipton as the lead grew to 8-0.
With one out, Lessenberry cleared the bases with a double then Tucker found the gap in right-center for his second triple. He scored on Dalton Holts grounder to second.
Dale retired the side in order in the fifth and the sixth. After Emmerling’s two-run double off Nick Myers, the fourth Razorback pitcher, in the top of the seventh, Murphy belted a solo homer to break up the shutout.
With two down, Zac Harrington walked and Hayden Phillips reached on an error. Myers beat out an infield hit to load the bases. A 1-1 pitch to Nathan Stubber came inside and hit either the batter or the bat. Initially, it was rule the latter but, upon appeal, the call was reversed and Stubber picked up an RBI as Harrington was forced in.
But Dale got Silvey to pop to Ezell at short and the Sox celebrated their championship but with an eye on getting a little more work done starting Saturday.
BRYANT 15, TEXARKANA RED RIVER FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 2
Black Sox ab r h bi Razorbacks ab r h bi
Ezell, ss 3 2 1 1 Silvey, lf-c 4 0 1 0
Tipton, lf 2 2 0 1 Alexander, rf-p-2b 3 0 0 0
C.Phillips, lf 1 0 0 0 Hopkins, cf 3 0 1 0
Lessenberry, c 3 3 2 5 Murphy, 1b 3 1 2 1
Graddy, c 1 0 0 0 Russo, dh-rf 3 0 0 0
Tucker, cf 3 2 3 3 Harrington, 3b 2 1 0 0
Holt, rf 3 0 0 1 H.Phillips, c-lf 3 0 0 0
Caldwell, rf 0 1 0 0 Myers, 2b-p 3 0 1 0
Warner, 3b 4 1 0 1 Stubber, ss 2 0 0 1
Emmerling, dh 3 1 2 2 Bearden, p 0 0 0 0
Thompson, 2b 4 2 2 0 Stutts, p 0 0 0 0
Dale, p 0 0 0 0
Totals 31 15 10 14 Totals 26 2 5 2
Bryant 410 170 2 — 15
Texarkana 000 000 2 — 2
E—Stubber, Murphy, Warner. DP—Bryant 1. LOB—Bryant 8, Texarkana 5. 2B—Thompson, Lessenberry, Emmerling. 3B—Tucker 2. HR—Murphy.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Bryant
Dale (W) 7 2 2 5 1 4
Texarkana
Bearden (L) 1.1 5 5 3 5 1
Stutts 2.2 3 3 2 4 1
Alexander 2 5 5 4 2 2
Myers 1 2 2 1 1 2
HBP—Caldwell (by Myers), Stubber (by Dale). WP—Bearden.
Umpires—Mike Wilson (home plate), Brad Clark (bases). Attendance: 87.
Zach Graddy receives a pitch behind the plate. (Photo by Rick Nation)
Trevor Ezell watches a pitch go by. (Photo by Kevin Nagle)
