Photos courtesy of Paul Dotson
CONWAY — The Bryant Black Sox Senior American Legion team suffered just their second loss of the season — their first to an in-state team — on Tuesday when the Fort Smith Kerwins Sportsmen prevailed 9-2 at Hendrix College.
The game was the first of two for the Sox in a three-team jamboree of sorts at Hendrix where part of the Senior Legion State Tournament will be played later this summer. Both Kerwins and the Sox picked up wins against the Conway Cougars on the night.
D.J. Reeves tossed a four-hitter at the Sox with Aaron Orender managing three of Bryant’s knocks including a triple. Reeves had a shutout going until the top of the seventh. He walked four and fanned just two.
A five-run third put the Sportsmen in the driver’s seat, increasing their 2-0 edge.
Lefty Beaux Bonvillain absorbed the loss for the Sox when he pitched into the third. Boston Heil relieved and escaped the third-inning jam. He worked three frames allowing just one hit and two walks with five strikeouts. Joey Cates pitched the bottom of the sixth and surrendered two unearned runs on one hit and a walk.
Reeves pitched around a one-out single by Orender in the top of the first.
In the home half, a hit batsman and a walk set up Kerwins. A pair of singles followed, producing the first run. With one down, the second run scored on a groundout. Bonvillain then picked off a runner at second to end the inning.
The Sox managed a base-runner in the third when Scott Schmidt drew a walk but he was erased on a doubleplay.
In turn, Fort Smith’s game-breaking third began with a walk, a single and a two-run double.
In the top of the fourth, Jake East reached on a Kerwins error and Orender lined a single to center but East, rounding second, was thrown out trying to scramble back to the bag. Moments later, Garrett Misenheimer grounded into a doubleplay.
Heil fanned two as he pitched around a single and a two-out walk in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, Seth Tucker singled for the Sox but was stranded.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, a walk, a single and a two-base error produced Kerwins’ 9-0 lead.
Orender’s triple opened the top of the seventh. Misenheimer drew a four-pitch walk then Jordan Gentry did as well, filling the sacks. Cates picked up an RBI with a grounder to second then Tucker’s sacrificed fly got Misenheimer home. Schmidt kept the inning going with a walk but Hunter Oglesby’s fly to left ended the contest.
