The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team was set to open play in the annual Battle of[more] Omaha for 19-and-under teams this morning at 9 a.m. against a team from O’Fallon, Ill. It’s the first of five pool play games for the Sox, who will play on Friday against Niwot, Colo., at 9 a.m., and Huron, S.D., at 11:30 a.m.
On Saturday, the Sox will take on Papillion, Neb., Pinnacle Bank, a team that Bryant met in the semifinals of the 2012 Battle. Down to its last out, Papillion rallied from a 3-0 deficit to advance to the championship game, sending the Black Sox home in deep disappointment. The rematch will begin at 9 a.m. At 11:30, Bryant completes pool play against the Swing Away Gamers 2.
The winners of the eight pools will advance to a single-elimination championship bracket on Sunday with the survivors meeting on Monday, June 24, for the title.
The Black Sox come into the tournament with an 11-1-1 record. Their lone loss was 3-2 to the Little Rock Vipers who rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to snatch the victory. The Sox also suffered a tie against the Marion Toppers as part of the Red Wolves Classic last weekend.
The Battle of Omaha is held in conjunction with the College World Series, which is currently underway in Omaha. The tournament includes 48 teams from Idaho, Colorado, Missouri, Louisiana, Kansas, Alaska, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio and New Mexico along with Nebraska and Arkansas.
