Hornets roll again, improve to 4-0 at Tampa event
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 continue posting 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).
Photos courtesy of Crissy McEntire
TAMPA, Fla. — For the second time on the trip, the Bryant Hornets drubbed the Newbridge Academy Pride of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia at the Tampa Classic. Following up the 16-2 rout on Monday, the Hornets eased to a 13-0 win on Tuesday to improve to 12-2 overall this season and 4-0 at the Tampa event.
Will Hathcote pitched a two-hit shutout over five innings, striking out eight without a walk, while Bryant used six hits to take advantage of 11 walks, four errors and a hit batsman.
Austin Ledbetter had two of those hits. Noah Davis and Cade Drennan each pounded doubles as Newbridge went through four pitchers.
For the first two innings, it was a duel between Hathcote and the Pride’s Ryan Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald pitched around a lead-off single to Logan Chambers in the first while Hathcote worked around a one-out single by Fitzgerald in the bottom of the inning then a one-out triple by Cam Rendell in the second. Rendell held as the next batter, Camilo Riesgo tapped to Ledbetter at first. The inning ended when Mason Taylor flew out to Logan Grant in right.
The Pride did not have another base-runner the rest of the game as Hathcote and the Bryant defense retired 11 in a row.
Bryant broke through with a run in the third. Gage Stark was hit by a pitch and stole second. Coby Greiner sacrificed him to third and Zion Collins singled him home.
After a 1-2-3 home third, the Hornets added on. With two down, walks to Stark and Greiner spelled the end of the second Newbridge pitcher, Brogan Walsh. Riesgo relieved and got Collins to hit a pop up on the infield that Riesgo wound up misplaying.
With the bases full, Chambers drew an RBI walk then Davis cleared the bases with a double to center. Ledbetter singled him in and it was 6-0.
The Hornets made it a run-rule game in the top of the fifth. Walks to Grant and Stark opened the inning. After Greiner grounded into a force at second, Collins drew a free pass to load the sacks. A walk to Chambers made it 7-0 and forced another pitching change.
With Landon Gallant on the hill, Davis hit a hot shot to right that was booted, allowing Greiner to score. Ledbetter followed with a single to right, chasing in Collins. And when the ball was misplayed, Chambers scored as well.
With runners at second and third, Drennan belted a double to plate two more and, after a walk to Wright, a wild pitch allowed Drennan to score to set the final tally.
The Hornets are expected to play Lutheran South of St. Louis again on Wednesday then Germantown, Pa., on Thursday.
