SHERIDAN — Here’s what kind of game it turned out to be when the Bryant Everett Buick GMC Black Sox and the Texarkana Razorbacks met Tuesday night for the championship of the Junior American Legion State Tournament:
Through the first two innings, the teams had combined to score eight runs while combining for just one hit, a single by Texarkana’s Ty Shelton in the top of the first.
On a hot, moist night, muggy after a late afternoon rain shower that forced a delay in the losers’ bracket final that Texarkana eventually won 12-2 over Blytheville, there were 16 walks and eight hit batsmen in the game that featured the two best Junior American Legion teams in the state.
But if the walks and hit batsmen were the only trouble, it might’ve ended up being a closer contest. Unfortunately for Bryant, which was contending for the program’s third consecutive Junior State title, there were also eight errors.
Texarkana took advantage of the eight errors, 11 walks and five hit batsmen with eight hits on the way to a 16-5 victory and the State crown.
The Sox had gone 3-0 through the first three days of the tournament. The last unbeaten team, they committed five errors and lost to Texarkana in the semifinals, 8-3, on Monday then awaited the other last team standing, which turned out to be the Razorbacks.
The Zone 4 rivals also battled for the Zone tournament championship with the Razorbacks prevailing in the “If” game. Altogether, the Sox and the Hogs played each other seven times this season. Bryant won twice: 9-1 in their first meeting on June 16 then 3-1 on July 14 to force the winner-take-all final at the Zone tourney.
Very little went the Black Sox’ way on Tuesday. Starter Austin Kelly struggled with his command right away. He faced seven batters, walked four, hit one, unleashed three wild pitches while retiring two. With the Sox down 3-0, Seth Tucker was called in to relieve but was greeted by the first hit of the game to load the bases. A walk to Riley Orr (of Springhill, La.) made it 4-0.
Texarkana starter Austin Stubber (of Hope) struggled early as well. He walked three of the first four batters he faced then hit Kelly to force in a run. Aaron Orender’s sacrifice fly had the Sox within 4-2.
But the Razorbacks got those two runs back in the top of the second without a hit. After Logan Allen robbed Parker Ribble (Magnolia) of extra bases for the second out of the frame, Stubber was struck by a pitch, Beau Burson (Smackover) reached on an error, Tanner Vaught (Horatio) walked and Tyler Rucker (Prescott) was hit by a pitch. Jack Johnson, running for Stubber, scored on a wild pitch then Burson came in when Shelton walked to force in a run.
After the Sox were blanked in the second, Texarkana scored four times in the top of the third with the help of three Bryant errors. Trevor Pipkin (Prescott) reached on the first miscue. Walks to Matt Goodheart (Magnolia) and Ribble loaded the bases.
Boston Heil became Bryant’s third pitcher and was greeted by Stubber who singled in a run.
Burson followed with a grounder. With the infield drawn in, Tucker, back at short, charged in and fielded the ball but his throw to the plate, skipped in and got by Kelly, who had taken over at catcher. Goodheart scored but Kelly hustled after the ball and tossed to Heil in time to tag out Ribble who was trying to score as well.
With runners at second and third, Vaught’s infield roller was misplayed as a run scored. Rucker then singled in Burson to make it 10-2.
The Sox stayed alive in the home third. Garrett Misenheimer walked and Cameron Coleman singled. Kelly, who was hit by pitches in each of his three at-bats, loaded the bases when he was plunked this time. With one out, Heil grounded into a force. When the relay drew the Texarkana first baseman off the bag, Heil reached to keep the inning going and Misenheimer scored. Tucker followed with an RBI single to right to trim the lead to 10-4.
Scott Schmidt singled to drive in courtesy runner Beaux Bonvillain and send Tucker to third but Stubber got Allen to fly to right to end the inning.
And it didn’t stay 10-5 long. Heil retired the first two in the fourth with relative ease. And when Stubber hit a long fly to left, it appeared that the Sox would be out of the inning with momentum. But the ball was dropped in left and the floodgates were open again.
Burson beat out an infield hit then Vaught singled in a run. Rucker was struck by a delivery but the Sox seemed to be out of the inning again only to have another error extend it, while allowing two more runs to score, making it 13-5.
The Sox went down in order in the home half and, in the top of the fifth, Ribble made it a run-rule lead by slugging a three-run homer.
Kelly was hit by a pitch one more time but Stubber and the error-free defense behind him retired the next three to lock down the championship.
