Sox’ pitching continues to stymie opposition in Springfield
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).
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — On the heels of a day in which Bryant Black Sox pitchers spun a no-hitter and allowed just one run in a second game, the trio of Myers Buck, Boston Heil and Logan Allen whipped up a six-hit shutout as the Sox completed a sweep of pool play at the 2017 Mid America Classic on Friday.
The 6-0 win over Nixa, Mo., was also spurred by Scott Schmidt’s 3 for 3 day on offense. Seth Tucker also had three hits with Jake East and Buck adding two each. Tucker and Aaron Orender each had two runs batted in.
Buck pitched the first four innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out three. Heil pitched the fifth, allowing a hit and fanning two. Allen closed the shutout with two frames of one-hit relief with a strikeout.
Bryant scored its first run in the opening innning. Allen led off with a four-pitch walk and East singled. Tucker lashed a single to right that drove in Allen.
Buck pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the first. A lead-off double, a hit batsman and a single had the bases loaded before the Sox had recorded an out. But Buck struck out the clean-up hitter and the runners remained at their stations when the second out came on a line out to Allen in center. A throw back in to the infield caught the lead runner wandering and he was tagged out to end the inning.
Schmidt and Buck singled to open the second but the Sox were unable to take advantage. In the third, however, Tucker singled to center and stole second. With one out, he swiped third then scored on Orender’s single to right.
Alex Shurtleff slapped a single that sent Orender to third but when he tried to stretch the single into a double, Shurtleff was tagged out at second.
Moments later, though, Schmidt lined a single too hot for the shortstop to handle and Orender scored to make it 3-0.
Buck added a single then Grayson Prince stroked a double to the opposite field, plating Schmidt
In the bottom of the inning, Buck worked around a two-out single, starting the inning with a strikeout and ending it by picking off the runner at first.
Bryant added a fifth run in the top of the fourth. With one out, Dylan Hurt belted a triple. Orender’s sacrifice fly produced the run.
A walk started NIxa’s fourth but the Sox turned a doubleplay to erase him and Buck finished his stint on the mound by inducing a groundout to Schmidt at second.
Heil relieved in the fifth and struck out the first batter he faced. Despite a double, he kept the shutout intact by inducing a comebacker to the mound then ending the inning with a strikeout.
The final run of the game scored in the top of the sixth. East cracked a one-out single and scored when Tucker doubled two pitches later.
Allen took the mound in the home sixth and was greeted by a base hit and a sacrifice bunt. But the runner never advanced from there as a pair of groundouts ended the inning.
In the seventh, Nixa was retired in order. Allen ended the game with a strikeout.
Bracket play was set to begin on Saturday.
