Photos courtesy of Paul Dotson
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — On June 7, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team suffered a 3-2 loss at Cabot. Since then, the Sox have played 17 games and have won all of them including an 11-2 romp over that same Cabot Centennial Bank team Sunday evening in the annual Keith Hagan Memorial All-American Classic at Sowell Field.
The Sox, now 20-3 overall, are the last unbeaten team in the Classic at 5-0 going into Monday’s 4 p.m. contest against the Arkansas Prospects at Arlington High School.
Seth Tucker went the distance on the mound for the Sox against Cabot. He allowed single runs in the first and third innings then shut the Bankers out the rest of the way. He scattered nine hits, walked three and struck out five.
At the plate, Tucker helped himself with two hits. Jake East, Christian Harp also had a pair of hits piece. Bryant had 11 hits overall and five of them for extra bases. Matthew Sandidge and Scott Schmidt each had triples, driving in two apiece. Logan Allen also had a triple while East and Brandon Hoover connected for a double each.
Cabot scratched out a run in the top of the first but Tucker forced them to strand a pair. In the bottom of the inning, the Sox took the lead for good.
Allen ignited the opening surge with a one-out triple. Dylan Hurt singled him in to tie the game. Hoover followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Hurt hustled home on a wild pitch then Hoover scored on a passed ball to make it 3-1.
A lead-off single in Cabot’s second was erased by a Black Sox doubleplay. Despite singles from Harp and East, the Sox were unable to add on in the bottom of the inning.
In the third, Cabot loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a hit batsman. Tucker struck out a batter. The Sox then traded an out for a run on a grounder to Schmidt at second. With a runner at third, a walk extended the inning but Tucker ended the rally with another strikeout.
Bryant then turned the narrow 3-2 advantage into a 6-2 lead in the bottom of the third. Walks to Hurt and Hoover initiated the uprising. Hurt was forced at third on Alex Shurtleff’s sacrifice bunt attempt. After Sandidge flew out to center, Schmidt stroked a liner to the opposite field and legged out a triple to make it 5-2. Harp’s base hit drove him home.
The Sox turned another doubleplay to end the top of the fourth after Cabot had put two aboard with a single and a one-out walk. After Bryant was retired in order in the home half, Cabot threatened again in the fifth, loading the bases on three consecutive hits. But Tucker knocked down a liner back to the box, threw home for a force and, in turn, Hurt fired to first for the old 1-2-3 doubleplay. A bouncer to Hoover at first resulted in the final out with runners stranded at second and third.
The game went to the sixth with Bryant maintaining its 6-2 lead. The Sox then made it a run-rule win in the home sixth.
Tucker ignited the outburst with a single up the middle. He stole second and scored on East’s double. Allen walked then he and East worked a double steal before Hurt drew a free pass to load the bases. On a passed ball, East scored to make it 8-2.
Hoover was struck by a pitch to load the bases for Shurtleff, who came through with a sacrifice fly. Sandidge finished off the rout with a two-run triple to end the game.
