By Rob PatrickIt happens every year about this time. The players that are new to American Legion baseball kind of hit the wall. After all, in every other summer since they've been playing baseball in Bryant, this is the time for the regular season to wrap up, all-star teams to be chosen and practice begins with the excitement of District, State and Regional tournaments approaching.
For the Bryant Black Sox Junior Legion team, this is, on the other hand, grind it out time. District is still a couple of weeks away. And, invariably, this is a time for a bit of a slump.
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In 2008, the team had losing streaks of three and four games during a stretch in June in which they went 9-10. But they pulled it together at the end of the regular season and qualified for the State tournament.In 2007, the team lost 6 of 8 in June, rallied but then lost its first two games in the District tournament.
In 2006, a stretch of three losses in four games was followed by a run to State.
In 2005, the team lost 5 of 7 in June and made the second of three straight trips to State.
In '04, it was 5 of 8 losses then on to State.
In '03, the team lost six straight in June but wound up making it to the finals of the District Tournament, a win away from State.
And on and on.
This June, the Sox have suffered three losses in a row and a couple of them, including Tuesday's 16-1 loss to Pine Bluff National Bank, have been discouraging.
But there's no reason to believe that, like the past few seasons, this team won't put it together and made another run in the post-season and a bid for the Junior team's fifth State tournament in six years.
Tuesday's game got off to a rough start for right-hander Caleb Milam, who was on the mound for the first time since June 4. His counterpart, Hunter Colson, led off the game with a one-hop shot off Milam's left arm. Milam hustled after the ricochet but his off-balance throw to first, though on time, was dropped.
Colson proceeded to steal second and take third on a wild pitch as Milam and Tanner Moore battled to a full count. Moore fouled off a tough pitch then took ball four.
Ryan Bowlin followed with a bunt that Milam pounced on. He checked to make sure Colson was holding at third then fired to first only to have Bowlin beat the throw to load the bases.
Ryan Dardenne bounced a two-run single through the left side, Zach Barr sliced a double down the left-field line then Jarred James beat out an infield hit.
Suddenly, it was 4-0.
Milam picked off James then retired the next two batters to keep it there but the subsequent innings were much the same as Pine Bluff scored four times in each of the game's four innings. The Bankers were aided by a pair of errors in the second and two more in the third including a dropped flyball in the outfield with the bases loaded that allowed all three runs to score after Jake Clark had come in to relieve Milam.
In the fourth, Pine Bluff strung together five hits including doubles by Antwoine Jackson and Moore to make it 16-0.
The Sox just couldn't get anything going on offense. In the first, Chris Joiner, making his return after being out due to an ailment, singled to left. But, with Joiner running on the pitch, Evan Jobe popped to Colson who threw to first for a doubleplay.
Dylan Pritchett followed with a single but he was stranded.
In the second, Milam slugged a two-out double to the base of the fence in center and Brodie Nixon drew a walk but Tyler Brown's liner was speared by Barr at first to end the inning.
Colson pitched around a two-out single by Pritchett in the third.
Landon Pickett singled to start the fifth and, an out later, Milam drew a walk. Nixon hustled to first to avoid a game-ending doubleplay on his grounder to second that forced out Milam.
With Pickett at third, Brown singled to left to drive in the run. Joiner beat out an infield hit to load the bases but Colson got the third out to end the game.
The Sox fell to 9-7. They'll try to get back on track tonight at home against Jacksonville.
