HARRISON — Dakota Besancon, Bailey Bowers and Daniel Darbonne combined on a four-hitter as the Sport Shop Black Sox AA American Legion team of Bryant captured its first win of the 2014 season, 6-1, over Harrison on Saturday.
The Sox, however, lost a pair of games as well in Harrison’s tournament. They opened on Saturday with an 8-2 setback at the hands of the Searcy Silverbacks. After coming back with the win Saturday evening, they took on a team from Warrensburg, Mo., on Sunday and absorbed a 9-3 loss.
They’re set to return to action a little closer to home tonight when they face one of three Benton Junior teams at 6.
Sport Shop 6, Harrison 1
The Sox used five hits to take advantage of eight walks that were issued by Harrison pitchers. Meanwhile, the lone Harrison run was unearned. The trio of Black Sox hurlers combined to strike out seven and walk just one.
Justin Emmerling, Weston Jones, Bowers, Darbonne and Ashton Shropshire each had a hit. Bailey’s was a two-bagger that drove in a pair of runs during Bryant’s five-run fifth.
A pair of errors on either side of a single in the first produced Harrison’s run. The Sox tied it in the bottom of the second. Jones beat out an infield hit and advanced to second on a groundout by Nick Kehrees. After Jones stole third, Caleb Chaffin drew a walk. The duo then worked a double steal to plate the tying tally.
Besancon worked the first two innings and Bowers pitched a scoreless third and fourth.
In the bottom of the fifth, Chaffin drew another free pass and Darbonne laced a single to left. But he was thrown out after rounding first too aggressively. But Chaffin took third on a passed ball as Joey Cates drew a walk. Cates swiped second and with two down, Hunter Oglesby walked to load the bases for Zac Graddy. He walked to force in the go-ahead run then Emmerling yanked an RBI single to left and Bowers cracked his two-run double to make it 5-1.
After Kehrees walked, Emmerling scored on a wild pitch as Chaffin was waiting out his third walk of the game.
Darbonne had two work around a pair of one-out singles in the top of the sixth but he retired the side in order in the seventh to nail down the victory.
Searcy Silverbacks 8, Black Sox 2
The Sox were shackled on one hit over the first five innings by Searcy’s Cain Mainer, who walked two and struck out 10. The Silverbacks built an 8-0 lead before Sport Shop managed a pair of runs in the sixth off reliever Jacob Sexton.
Bryant managed just three hits for the game. Graddy had the lone hit against Mainer, a single with one out in the fourth. Emmerling drew his second walk but the Silverbacks were able to get out of the inning, maintaining a 4-0 lead. They had scored three times in the first and added a run in the second.
Searcy added two runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth. In the top of the sixth, Besancan drew a one-out walk and, on an errant pickoff throw, hustled to third. He scored when Oglesby’s grounder to short was booted. Graddy drew a walk and, with two down, Cates singled to center to chase home Oglesby.
The third Bryant hit was a two-out single to right by Jones in the top of the seventh.
Emmerling, Cates and Shropshire each got in some mound time for the Sox. Shropshire retired the last four Searcy batters.
Warrensburg 9, Black Sox 3
Warrensburg built a 5-0 lead in the first three innings but, in the top of the fifth, Sport Shop made it interesting with a three-run uprising. But the Missouri team countered with a four-run home fifth to regain the momentum that carried them to the win.
Bryant finished with eight hits including two by Bowers. Besancon, Oglesby, Jones, Graddy, Cates and Darbonne each had a knock. Bowers and Jones each had a double.
The Sox got mound work from four more players, Oglesby, Plunkett, Graddy and Kehrees with Oglesby and Kehrees most of effective of the group.
Bryant’s fifth-inning uprising was instigated by Graddy, who singled to center. Cates came on as a courtesy runner and stole second. Darbonne reached on an error to put runners at the corners. Cates held as Darbonne moved to second on a groundout off the bat of Besancon. Oglesby delivered an RBI single.
When Oglesby got into a rundown between first and second, Darbonne scampered home to make it 5-2. Oglesby then stole second after getting back to first on the previous play. Jones rifled a double down the right-field line to make it 5-3.
After Warrensburg took advantage of four walks to score its answering four runs, Bryant tried to rally again when Cates, Darbonne and Besancon each singled with two down to load the bases. But they were stranded.
In the seventh, Chaffin reached on an error and, with one out, Bowers singled up the middle to no avail.
