Thirteen-run first sends Hornets on their way to victory
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Photo by Rick Nation
Chase Tucker went 4-for-4 and the Bryant Hornets scored the proverbial baker’s dozen in the bottom of the first inning to take most of the mystery out of Tuesday’s South Conference clash with the Lake Hamilton Wolves.
In the final home game for Bryant’s seniors, the Hornets wound up with a 15-0 win over the Wolves to improve to 12-1 in league play, clinching at least a tie for the conference championship. They can nail down the title outright on Friday when they travel to El Dorado.
A trio of pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout for the Hornets. Zach Jackson needed just 15 pitches to get the first six outs. Devin Dupree, who earned the victory, added two scoreless frames then Harrison Dale eased through a 1-2-3 fifth to finish.
The Hornets wound up with 11 hits. Along with Tucker’s big day, Korey Thompson went 2 for 3. Brandan Warner drove in four including three of those on a bases-loaded triple to cap off the first-inning blitz. Trey Breeding contributed a two-run double.
Warner’s was just one of three triples for Bryant. Tucker and Thompson each had one among his respective hits.
The onslaught commenced when Drew Tipton was hit by a pitch from Lake Hamilton starter, Chris Eastburn, with one out. Tucker singled then Breeding drew a walk to pack the bags. Jason Hastings swatted a liner that Wolves’ first baseman Drew Dodson couldn’t hold onto as Tipton scored the first run.
Justin Emmerling and Warner drew consecutive walks, picking up an RBI apiece. Hastings scored when Dalton Holt bounced into a force at second, making it 4-0. Thompson’s single plated Emmerling and, after Trevor Ezell drew a walk, Eastburn was replaced by Nate Sawrie. He unleashed a wild pitch and Holt scored.
It was 6-0 and the Hornets had mustered only two hits. But once Sawrie came on and started throwing strikes, Bryant started striking throws. Tipton singled in a run then so did Tucker. And when the return throw from the outfield got away, Tucker advanced to second as Tipton took third.
That set the stage for Breeding’s shot down the left-field line for a two-run double. Perhaps hesitant to groove the ball, Sawrie issued walks to Hastings and Emmerling to load the bases for Warner, who drilled a 2-2 pitch to deep left-center for his three-run triple.
Even the final out of the inning was bolt struck by Holt but snared on a nice back-hand play by Lake Hamilton’s Kyle Jessie.
In the second, Thompson led off with a triple and Ezell delivered him with a sacrifice fly to make it 14-0. With two down, Tucker smashed a single, stole second, took third on an errant throw and scored on a wild pitch.
That put the final score on the board. Lake Hamilton threatened in the third when Jacob Treat reached on an error but the Hornets turned a nifty doubleplay. Sawrie singled but was stranded when Dupree got Alec Young to pop to Dale at third.
Hastings doubled and Holt beat out an infield hit in the bottom of the third but both were stranded.
Lake Hamilton’s best chance to score came in the fourth when Jessie singled and Eastburn ripped a double. But Sean Faught grounded to short and Ezell started a rundown on Eastburn, who had broken from second. Jessie broke for home and the throw there led to Breeding running him back towards third before tagging him out.
Dodson bounced to Dale at third to end the inning.
Sawrie pitched around Tucker’s triple in the fourth but Dale ended it by inducing a soft liner to Holt at first off Treat’s bat. Zach Muldoon flew to Tucker in center then Sawrie fanned on three pitches.
BRYANT 15, LAKE HAMILTON 0
Wolves ab r h bi Hornets ab r h bi
Young, cf 2 0 0 0 Ezell, ss 2 1 0 1
Burrow, ss 2 0 0 0 Tipton, lf 3 2 1 1
Jessie, 3b 2 0 1 0 Tucker, cf 4 3 4 1
Eastburn, p-rf 2 0 1 0 Breeding, c 3 0 1 2
Faught, dh 2 0 0 0 Tatum, cr 0 2 0 0
Dodson, 1b 2 0 0 0 Hastings, rf 2 2 1 0
Treat, lf 2 0 0 0 Emmerling, dh 1 2 0 1
Muldoon, c 2 0 0 0 Warner, 3b 1 0 1 4
Lipton, rf 0 0 0 0 Dale, 3b-p 1 0 0 0
Sawrie, p 2 0 1 0 Holt, 1b 3 1 1 1
Lax, 2b 0 0 0 0 Thompson, 2b 3 2 2 1
Jackson, p 0 0 0 0
Dupree, p 0 0 0 0
Kehrees, 3b 0 0 0 0
Totals 18 0 3 0 Totals 23 15 11 12
Lake Hamilton 000 00 — 0
BRYANT (13)20 0x — 15
E—Dodson, Treat, Muldoon, Dale. DP—Bryant 1. LOB—Lake Hamilton 3, Bryant 4. 2B—Breeding, Hastings, Eastburn. 3B—Warner, Thompson, Tucker. SB—Tucker. SF—Ezell.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Lake Hamilton
Eastburn (L) 0.2 8 2 2 4 0
Sawrie 3.1 7 6 9 2 2
Bryant
Jackson 2 0 0 0 0 0
Dupree (W) 2 0 0 3 0 0
Dale 1 0 0 0 0 1
HBP—Tipton (by Eastburn). WP—Sawrie 2. PB—Muldoon.
