MEMPHIS — Facing the Memphis Tigers 18U team for the third time in the Keith Hagan Memorial All-American Classic on Wednesday and hoping for a fourth, the Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team grabbed a 4-1 lead with a three-run uprising in the third inning. Out of fresh arms after seven games in the tournament, including three on Tuesday, the Sox just couldn’t hang on, however. The Tigers rallied for their third win over the Sox, 7-5, to capture the championship of The Hagan.
Right-hander Austin Kelly kept Memphis down over the first four innings but a three-run rally in the top of the fifth tied the game 4-4. Boston Heil, the sidewinder who had thrown two innings the previous night in a 1-0 win in 10 innings against Team Colorado and was making his third appearance in the tourney, came on to get out of the fifth. But the Tigers took the lead with a run in the top of the sixth then added two in the seventh. Hunter Oglesby relieved and got the final out of the seventh.
Bryant rallied in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded when the final out was made.
The Black Sox, now 16-5-1, needed to beat Memphis twice on Wednesday to capture the championship after suffering a first-round loss in bracket play to the Tigers in the first of their three games on Tuesday.
Friday, the Sox head to the St. Louis area for another tournament starting Saturday.
Bryant had 10 hits in Wednesday’s game, two each by Logan Allen, Garrett Misenheimer, Seth Tucker and Scott Schmidt.
Allen singled, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on Garrett Misenheimer’s single to give the Sox a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Kelly pitched around a single and a pair of walks in the bottom of the inning, pikcing off a runner at second along the way.
After a two-out single by Kelly in the second that came to nothing, Memphis tied it in the top of the third on a one-out single, a two-out walk, a passed ball and a wild pitch.
But Bryant countered with the big third-inning uprising that Schmidt ignited with an infield hit. Allen slapped a single to right that sent Schmidt to third and when Jake East bounced into a force at second, the Sox were back on top 2-1.
East stole second and advanced to third on Misenheimer’s single to center and, after Misenheimer swiped a base, Dylan Hurt’s base hit drove in a run. Aaron Orender made it 4-1 by executing a squeeze bunt.
That held through the fourth as Kelly overcame a walk and a single with a pair of strikeouts and fly to right in the top of the inning.
In the Memphis fifth, however, three singles started a rally. Kelly fanned a batter but a wild pitch allowed a run to score. An RBI single and a groundout made it 4-4 before Heil came on to get the final out on a foul pop to Hurt, the Sox catcher.
The Sox were set down in order in the bottom of the inning and Memphis used a double, a single and a sacrifice fly to take the lead.
In the home sixth, Bryant made a bid to knot it back up. Tucker singled with one out but was caught trying to steal second. Kelly walked and Joey Cates beat out an infield hit with Kelly hustling to third. Cates swiped second but they were stranded as the Tigers escaped.
A pair of doubles added to the Tigers lead with one out in the top of the seventh. Heil got the second out on strikes but a steal of third and a wild pitch made it 7-4. With runners at first and second, Oglesby came on to end the inning with a strikeout.
Bryant’s seventh-inning rally started with free passes to Allen and East. After a pitching change, Hurt drew a one-out walk to fill the bases. With two down, Tucker came through with an RBI single before the final out was made on a grounder to short by Kelly.
