Though they were unable to pull out a win, in both games of their doubleheader against two different teams, the Sport Shop Black Sox AA American Legion team of Bryant kept scrapping and battling. Against the Benton Everett Cardinals, they rallied from a 6-1 deficit to take a 7-6 lead only to suffer a 10-7 loss. In the second game against Benton Sport Shop scratched out two runs without a hit over the first four innings and trailed just 4-2. Benton bumped the lead to 8-2 but, in the bottom of the seventh, the Sox rallied for a run and had the bases loaded when the final out was recorded.
The 8-3 loss dropped the Sox to 6-9 overall. They came into the twinbill off an 8-7 win over a Texarkana, Texas team that wound up winning the Peoples Bank Wood Bat Tournament in Sheridan over the weekend. The team hosts Sheridan for a doubleheader on Thursday and plays two at Clarksville on Sunday.
Against Benton Everett, Bryant fell behind 4-0 in the first as the Cardinals’ Cody Icenhower, Zach Caplinger, Logan Clay, Brinson Cornwell and Gavin Johnson strung together consecutive hits. Colby Byrd added a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the inning, Nick Kehrees was hit by a pitch, swiped second, took third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch as Weston Jones was working a walk. Dakota Besancon walked as well and a wild pitch moved the two runners into scoring position but they were stranded, the first two of 11 in the game.
After the rugged first inning, Sox starter Noah Easterling kept Benton off the board in the second and third but Johnson did the same for Benton.
Blake Gwatney started Benton’s fourth with a single up the middle. It looked like he was going to be forced at second on Dawson Ross’ groundball but an errant throw put runners at first and third. A balk made it 5-1 then Braden Carmen singled in Ross.
Joey Cates relieved the Bryant and, with the help of fine plays by Bailey Bowers at third and Caleb Chaffin at first, got the second out. He then fanned Caplinger to end the inning. Cates would retire the side in order in the fifth.
So it was 6-1 when Bryant’s fifth inning came around. Bowers was hit by a pitch to start things off. Weston Jones walked then Dakota Besancon got a bunt down. He reached when the throw to first was off target. With bases loaded, Chaffin yanked a single into right to drive in two.
Caplinger relieved Johnson but walked Hunter Oglesby, Daniel Darbonne and Bradley Plunkett to trim the lead to 6-5. After Cornwell relieved, Cates walked to force in the tying run and Kehrees came through with a sacrifice fly to give the Sox a 7-6 lead.
Benton regained the edge in the top of the sixth, however. The rally started after Cates struck out the first two in the inning. He got within a strike of fanning the side but a 3-2 pitch to Dakota Rains was out of the zone. After a wild pitch moved Rains to second, Carmen beat out an infield hit. Rains scored on another wild pitch and Carmen scored when Icenhower’s grounder to short was misplayed.
Down 8-7, the Sox could only muster a one-out single by Chaffin in the home sixth. In the seventh, the Cards tacked on with three walks, a bunt single and a sacrifice fly.
Plunkett reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh but Cates bounced into a force play that became a doubleplay when Plunkett was cited for interference. Kehrees reached when a third strike got to the backstop but Cornwell ended it there with his fourth strikeout.
In the nightcap, Benton Sport Shop’s hard-throwing right-hander Ben Madison held the Sox without a hit for five innings, striking out 11. Austin Sheridan kept it going with a hitless sixth but Darbonne ripped a double to right-center with one out in the seventh to break up the no-hit bid. After Bowers walked, Nick Kehrees cracked an RBI double.
With two out, Jones walk to load the bases but Sheridan ended it with a strikeout.
Benton used three walks and an RBI single by Cooper Wright to plate three runs in the top of the first.
Bryant got a run back in the home first. Oglesby walked and took second on a passed ball. With one out, Besancon was nicked by a pitch and, with two down, Cates reached on an error to load the bases. Oglesby scored on a wild pitch before Madison recorded his third strikeout of the inning.
In Benton’s second, Jacob Stroud was hit by a pitch and Lucas Ward pushed a bunt past the mound for a single. Blake Pennington grounded into a force at third but Madison singled up the middle to load the bases for Jeff Storment who beat out an infield single to make it 4-1. Sheridan followed with a drive to left. Pennington tagged and appeared to score but Bryant successfully appealed the tag and the inning was over with no further damage.
Bryant cut it to 4-2 in the fourth. Jones walked and stole second and, with one out, Chaffin reached on an error. Plunkett grounded out to short but picked up the RBI as Jones scored.
After pitching scoreless innings in the third and fourth, Oglesby issued a walk to Madison to lead off the fifth. Ball four was a wild pitch and Madison took advantage by racing to second. An out later, Sheridan doubled him in to make it 5-1.
Darbonne relieved when Oglesby was unable to continue due to pain in his leg. Justin Garrett walked but Darbonne got Wright to bounce into a doubleplay to send it to the bottom of the inning.
But Madison struck out the side and Benton scored three times in the sixth to take a commanding lead. Madison singled in a run and a pair of errors contributed to the uprising.
Sheridan relieved in the bottom of the sixth and pitched around walks to Besancon and Chaffin.
