Black Sox to play Jonesboro for State title tonight

Photos by Kevin Nagle

The Bryant Black Sox and the Jonesboro Ricemen will play for the 2014 Senior American Legion State championship this evening at 5:30 at Bryant High School Field after both picked up victories — of a vastly different sort — on Tuesday night. Bryant needs just one win to capture the title and earn a trip to the MidSouth Regionals to be held at Burns Park in North Little Rock starting Friday, Aug. 8.

Jonesboro will need to beat the Black Sox twice to capture the title and the trip to Regionals.

The Ricemen just barely survived Tuesday, scoring a run in the bottom of the ninth to earn a 6-5 win over rival Mountain Home Lockeroom. The Sox, now 41-4, battled the rival Texarkana Razorbacks in a bit of an ugly game that was tight midway through. But Bryant wound up ending the season for the Razorbacks with a 23-10 win.

Last year, Texarkana ended Bryant’s season in the finals of the State tourney.

Right-hander Devin Dupree picked up the win for the Sox. He pitched five innings and gave up six runs but all six were unearned as the Bryant defense struggled early.

In fact, it was a mistake-ridden game, probably as much because both teams wanted so badly to beat the other.

Texarkana eventually ran out of steam after having to overcome all kinds of diversity. Even before the tournament began, the Razorbacks lost three players in a disciplinary decision. Along the way, they got physically beat up including catcher Landon Russo who Tuesday took a pitch in the dirt off his throat for the second time in three days. He had stayed home for Monday’s game but returned on Tuesday. He started in left field but when catcher Brandon White began to struggle to block pitches in the dirt, Russo moved behind the plate in the sixth and wound up taking another pitch off the throat. He was taken to the hospital by EMTs.

White put the catcher’s gear back on and finished the game there but he had a passed ball and the Razorbacks’ pitchers combined on seven wild pitches.

Harrison Dale took over for Dupree in the sixth and surrendered a couple of runs before setting the Hogs down in order in the seventh. After Bryant scored 10 times in the top of the eighth, Justin Emmerling threw the home half. Texarkana tacked on two more runs, both unearned.

Offensively, the Sox pounded out 18 hits including three by Dalton Holt who drove in three. Everybody else in the Bryant lineup had two hits except Korey Thompson who contributed a sacrifice, walked and came through with a clutch two-out RBI single in the seventh after Texarkana had tightened things.

The Razorbacks scored a run in the second on singles by Russo and Nathan Stubber. With one out, Thompson made a phenomenal play on a chopper up the middle. He somehow got a force at second while fielding the ball. But when he tried to nail the batter, Nick Myers, at first, his rushed throw was errant and Russo scored.

Bryant tied it in the third when Holt ripped a single up the middle for the first hit against Texarkana starter Jake Alexander. Thompson sacrificed then Ezell’s grounder to first was misplayed allowing the run to score as Ezell raced to second.

Dupree pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the third and his teammates grabbed the lead in the top of the fourth. Chase Tucker singled but, moments later, was picked off. He got into a rundown and eventually got back to first when Texarkana’s first baseman Kyle Duncan dropped a throw.

Blake Patterson singled him to third then a passed ball allowed him to score the go-ahead run. Brandan Warner singled then Trey Breeding squeezed in a run. Holt’s second hit knocked in Warner to make it 4-1.

A one-out error in the home fourth opened the door for the Razorbacks to rally in the home fourth. Myers reached and stole second before Trey Jeans singled him in. Hudson Hopkins beat out a chopper for a hit then Alexander grounded into a force at second.

Dupree picked off Jeans at third but somehow the base-runner evaded Warner’s tag twice to get back to the bag. A walk to Jackson Murphy loaded the bases for Duncan who lined a 1-2 delivery to right. Holt, playing deep for Duncan who hit two homers on Monday, came charging in and tried to make a diving catch. But the ball got by him for a triple, giving the Razorbacks a 5-4 lead.

And when Russo reached on an error, Duncan scored. Dupree ended it there, however, by striking out Stubber.

In the three previous State tourney games, the Sox had committed five errors total. They had four in just Tuesday’s contest alone.

The lead didn’t last long. In the top of the fifth, Ezell beat out a lead-off bunt for a hit then Drew Tipton was hit by a pitch. Chase Tucker hit a grounder to Myers, who ranged to his left to field the ball. But, inexplicably, Myers tried to force the speedy Tipton at second but to no avail. Tipton beat the throw and the Sox had the bases loaded.

Hayden Lessenberry picked up an RBI with a grounder to short and when the ball was booted by Stubber, he was on as well. Patterson followed with shot to right for a two-run single putting Bryant up 7-6. An errant throw back to the infield allowed Patterson to take second as Lessenberry rolled into third.

Alexander gave way to right-hander George Eubanks at that point. Warner hit a fly to right where Alexander had resettled. Lessenberry tried to tag and score but Alexander threw him out at the plate.

With two down, Breeding yanked a 1-1 delivery past third for a double. Eubanks then threw two pitches past White allowing Breeding to come around. That gave Bryant a 9-6 lead.

Dupree retired the first two in the bottom of the fifth but then surrendered a single to Eubanks. A wild pitch got him to second before Hopkins singled up the middle. Tucker charged in and fielded the ball, making a strong throw to Lessenberry, his cut-off man. Eubanks held at third but Hopkins, expecting him to try to score, came around first with no hesitation and headed for second. Lessenberry threw him out to end the inning.

In the sixth, Thompson and Ezell each walked. Hopkins relieved Eubanks and Tipton sacrificed the runners to second and third. Thompson scored on Hopkins’ balk. With Ezell at third, there was another pitch in the dirt. Russo blocked it but took the hit to the neck. And when the ball lodged between his jersey and his chest protector, Ezell was allowed to move up a base by rule, scoring to make it 11-6.

Dale was greeted by singles from Alexander and Murphy to start the bottom of the sixth. Duncan was nicked by a pitch to load the bases. Zac Harrington struck out then Stubber bounced into a force at second as Alexander scored. And when White beat out an infield hit on a swinging bunt, Murphy came in to trim the margin to 11-8.

In the seventh, Warner and Breeding drew walks and advanced on wild pitches. With Warner in and Breeding at third, Thompson came through with a single to left-center to make it 13-8.

After Dale retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh, the Sox erupted for 10 runs in the top of the eighth. Patrick Flanagan became the fourth Razorbacks pitcher to start the frame and he walked Ezell. Tipton singled up the middle and Tucker got a sacrifice bunt down that was misplayed, loading the bases. Ezell scored on a wild pitch and Lessenberry stroked a single to center that was misplayed allowing Tipton to score.

Warner singled in a run, Breeding doubled then Holt mashed a drive to the base of the fence in left-center for a two-run triple.

Before the inning was over, Ezell, Tipton and Tucker each doubled. Lessenberry knocked in the final run with a single.

Emmerling hit three batters and allowed a hit that led to two runs in the home eighth but could’ve been out of the inning unscathed except for the final Bryant error.

It was the sixth time this year that the two teams had played against each other. Bryant won five of those.

BRYANT 23, TEXARKANA 10

Black Sox                  ab        r          h          bi        Razorbacks              ab        r          h          bi

Ezell, ss                       4          4          2          1          Hopkins, cf-p              5          0          2          0

Tipton, lf                     4          3          2          1          Alexander, p-rf-cf-lf  4          2          1          0

Tucker, cf                   5          4          2          1          Murphy, 3b                3          3          2          0

Lessenberry, 1b        6          1          2          3          Duncan, 1b                3          2          2          3

Patterson, dh             5          2          2          2          Russo, lf-c                   3          1          2          0

Warner, 3b                4          3          2          1          Harrington, lf-p         2          0          0          0

Breeding, c                 3          3          2          2          Stubber, ss                 5          0          1          1

Holt, rf                        5          2          3          3          White, c-lf                   4          0          1          1

Thompson, 2b           3          1          1          1          Myers, 2b                   3          1          0          1

Dupree, p                   0          0          0          0          Jeans, rf                      2          1          1          1

Dale, p                         0          0          0          0          Eubanks, p                 1          0          1          0

Emmerling, p             0          0          0          0          Flanagan, rf-p         2          0          0          0

Totals                          39       23       18       15       Totals                          39       10       13       7

Bryant            001     352     2(10) — 23

Texarkana      010     502     02 — 10

E— Thompson 2, Duncan 2, Warner, Stubber, Jeans, Hopkins. DP—Texarkana 2. LOB—Bryant 3, Texarkana 12. 2B—Breeding 2, Ezell, Tipton, Tucker. 3B—Holt, Duncan. SB—Myers, Alexander. S—Thompson, Breeding, Tucker.

Pitching                     ip        r          er        h          bb       so

Bryant

Dupree (W)               5          6          0          9          2          2

Dale                            2          2          2          3          0          1

Emmerling                 1          2          1          1          0          1

Texarkana

Alexander (L)            4          8          5          7          1          2

Eubanks                     1          3          3          1          2          0

Hopkins                      2          2          2          1          2          1

Flanagan                    0.2       10       5          9          1          1

Harrington                 0.1       0          0          0          0          0

Balk—Hopkins. WP—Dupree, Alexander, Eubanks, Hopkins 3, Flanagan 2. PB—White.

Umpires—Wilson (HP), Clark (1B), Prater (3B)