Big night with the bats for Junior Sox in sweep of Drillers
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
Thirty-three runs on 34 hits produced two wins for the Bryant Black Sox Junior American Legion team on Thursday night. One of them was a breeze. In the other, the Sox needed every run.
Bryant and the El Dorado Drillers played eight innings in the opener. In the bottom of the eighth, Logan Chambers banged a lead-off triple but remained at third as El Dorado reliever Bryan Lacy retired the next two batters. And it looked like the contest was headed to the ninth when Brandon Hoover hit a grounder to second. But, in his haste to make the play as he charged the ball, Drillers second sacker Noah Gaul booted it and Hoover beat his late throw to first as Chambers scored the winning run in a wild 16-15 game.
Bryant then scored 12 runs in the first inning of the nightcap on the way to a 17-6 win in five innings.
The Sox improved to 20-11 on the season.
Logan Catton was 7 for 10 in the two games including 4 for 4 in the second contest. Brooks Ellis went 6 for 8 with eight runs batted in; Grayson Prince was 5 for 7 with seven RBIs; and Logan Chambers went 4 for 7.
Bryant 16, El Dorado 15
The Black Sox overcame deficits of 7-3, 9-6 and 15-12, tying the game in the bottom of the sixth. Neither team scored in the seventh.
Catton, the third Bryant pitcher, cooled off the Drillers’ bats. He allowed an unearned run as part of El Dorado’s six-run sixth but got out of the mess, forcing two runners to be stranded. Over the seventh and eight innings, he shut them out on just one hit.
The Sox out-hit the Drillers 18-9 but the visitors benefited from too many free bases as Bryant committed five errors, issued 10 walks and a hit a batter.
In the first, the Drillers grabbed a 2-0 lead, loading the bases on a walk to Leighton Turbeville, a hit batsman and a single by Brennan Smith. Micah Haney grounded into a force at second to get one run home. Shawn York, the courtesy runner for pitcher Daniel Johnson, scored on a passed ball.
Catton opened the home half of the inning with an infield hit. He and Chambers then executed the hit-and-run perfectly with Chambers slapping a single through the vacated hole at short. Catton sprinted to third and, when he drew a late throw, Chambers hustled into second. Both scored on Ellis’ double.
With the game tied at 2, Prince sacrificed Ellis to third and, moments later, he scored from there on a wild pitch.
Three singles, two walks and an error produced four runs for El Dorado in the top of the second. Gaul singled in a run and Smith knocked in two.
The Drillers added a run to the lead in the top of the third. An error, a bunt single by Zach Morgan and a walk to Turbeville loaded the bases. Bryant starter Will McEntire got Gaul to bounce back to the mound for a force at home but, later, a wild pitch allowed Morgan to score, making it 7-3.
Micah Holyfield relieved for Bryant in the fourth and kept El Dorado off the scoreboard, working around a two-out walk.
In Bryant’s fourth, Konnor Clontz cracked double into the right-field corner. He moved to third on a groundout by Chambers. With two down, Ellis singled to make it 7-4. A walk to Prince kept the inning going for Brandon Hoover. He plugged the gap in right center for a two-run double that had the Sox within a run going into the fifth.
Without a hit, the Drillers added two runs to the margin. Morgan walked and, with Rick Cazenave in to run, Lacy sacrificed him to second. Turbeville reached on an error to put runners at first and third. When Turbeville stole second, an errant throw allowed Cavenave to score.
Turbeville moved to third on Gaul’s groundout then he scored on a wild pitch before Holyfield could strike out Johnson to end the inning.
El Dorado’s 9-6 lead turned into a 12-9 deficit in the bottom of the fifth. Jake Wright’s infield hit started the rally. Sawyer Holt sacrificed him to second then Clontz singled him home. After Clontz swiped second, Catton reached on an error, which allowed Clontz to take third. He scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-8.
The wild pitch was ball four to Chambers. Ellis walked as well, setting the table for Prince, who yanked a single to right, driving in the tying and go-ahead runs.
Hoover walked to load the bases and force a pitching change. But, with two down, Wright blasted a one-hopper off the fence for a two-run double to extend the lead.
In turn, the Drillers plated six of their own in the top of the sixth. Two errors and four walks contributed to the outburst. Catton surrendered an RBI single to Turbeville, a run scored on a groundout then the second miscue made it 15-12.
An infield hit by Smith gave El Dorado a chance to get more but Catton got Micah Haney to ground into a force at second.
Bryant’s tying burst began with a four-pitch walk to Clontz. Catton’s third hit followed and, with one out, Ellis drilled his second double of the game. Clontz scored and Catton held at third. But when Ellis made a wide turn at second, thinking of a triple, El Dorado threw back to second to get him out. In the meantime, however, Catton scrambled home to make it 15-14.
With the bases empty and two down, Prince fouled off a pair of 3-2 pitches before earning a walk to keep the inning going. Hoover singled him to third and, after Coby Greiner was plunked by a pitch to load the bases, a wild pitch allowed the tying run to come in.
Bryant 17, El Dorado 6
Prince went the distance on the mound to earn the win with plenty of offensive backing including his own work. He went 3 for 4 with five RBIs.
Seth Thurman opened the game with a single for the Drillers but catcher Ryan Lessenberry threw him out trying to steal. The next two batters grounded out to send it to the bottom of the inning.
In similar fashion, Catton opened with a single, the first of his four knocks. But he too was thrown out trying to steal. But walks to Chambers and Ellis followed. Prince followed with a shot to left-center to chase both home.
Hoover walked and Wright was struck by a delivery from starter Garrett Jeans. A bases-loaded walk to Clontz made it 3-0 and brought a pitching change. But things didn’t go any better for Thurman, the reliever. Lessenberry singled in a run then Clift Chaffin sent a fly to center for an apparent sacrifice only to have the ball dropped.
That brought Catton back to the plate and he looped a two-run single to right as the onslaught continued. Chambers singled up the middle to plate Chaffin then Ellis burned the right fielder for a two-run triple to make it 10-0.
Prince doubled him in then scored with two down when a pop to shallow left was misplayed.
The Drillers managed a run in the top of the second. Smith walked and Jacob Hobbs singled. A wild pitch allowed Smith to get to third and he scored on Haney’s sacrifice fly.
The Sox took up where they left off as the home second unfolded. With one out, Chaffin pulled a single to left and Catton shot one to center. Chambers’ second hit loaded the bases and Ellis drilled a base hit past Lacy at short for an RBI hit.
Hoover singled in Catton and McEntire plated pinch-runner Micah Holyfield to make it 15-1.
Cazenave walked to start the Drillers’ third. Thurman singled and, after York sacrificed and Turbeville was drilled, Smith doubled in a pair. Prince, however, struck out Hobbs and got Haney to bounce out to Catton at second to limit the damage.
Bryant got those two runs back in the home third. With one down, Chaffin walked and Catton spanked his fourth single. Holyfield grounded into a force at third but Ellis laced a single up the middle for his fourth RBI. Prince capped the scoring with an RBI single to left.
Thomas Hardy reached on an error to start the fourth. He advanced on a wild pitch then took third on a single by Michael Brotherton. Prince fanned Cazenave and got Thurman to groundout to short. Hardy scored on that play then York blooped a single to left to get Brotherton home.
But Prince induced a grounder to second from Turbeville to end the inning. In the fifth, Smith walked but the Sox turned a nifty doubleplay on a grounder to Clontz at short by Hobbs.
Though Haney walked, Hardy popped out to Catton at second to end the game at just after 11 p.m.
