Junior Sox’ win over Lakeside punctuated by Pickett’s three-run jolt
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 continueposting 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).
By Rob Patrick
Landon Pickett blasted his second home run this summer at cavernous Bryant High School Field on Monday night. It was a three-run, walk-off drive right down the left-field line that finished off a run-rule win over the Lakeside Rams AA Legion team.
The 11-3 decision was the Junior Sox’ five consecutive win and 11th in the last 12 games going into their final regular-season playing date, a doubleheader with Sheridan at BHS on Tuesday.[more]
The Junior District begins on Monday, July 5, at Sheridan.
The Sox, now 12-2-1, hammered out 11 hits including two each by Evan Jobe, Ozzie Hurt and Caleb Milam on the way to the victory over Lakeside.
Quinton Motto picked up the win, allowing two runs — one earned — on five hits over five innings. Chris Joiner worked a scoreless sixth.
The Sox took a 3-0 lead in the first. After Motto worked a 1-2-3 top of the inning, Jobe opened the home half with a bloop single down the right-field line. Hurt smacked a double to left and, an out later, Milam shot a single off the glove of the diving third baseman Zach Ritter.
Jobe scored on that play. After Milam stole second, Tyler Brown hit a grounder towards second that drew a wild throw to first allowing Hurt and Milam to score.
Art Slaton, who had three of Lakeside’s six hits, slapped a one-out single to right in the top of the second but was stranded.
After Bryant went down in order in the bottom of the inning, the Rams got on the board. Foster Pratt was hit by a pitch and Andrew Hiett sacrificed him to second. With two down, Taylor Parker lined a single to center to drive in the run.
A third-strike wild pitch allowed Ritter to reach but, with runners at first and second, Motto got Jonathan Rogers to ground to Brown at short for a force at second, keepting it 3-1.
Bryant trumped that outburst with one of its own. With one out in the home third, Pickett drew a walk and Milam doubled. With the infield in, Josh Pultro ripped a single up the middle to make it 4-1.
Milam got to third on the play and, moments later, sprinted home as Brown got a squeeze bunt down to make it 5-1. And when Trent Rivers stroked a single to right, in came Pultro as well.
Slaton singled to start the top of the fourth. He advanced on a tap in front of the plate then reached third on an infield hit by Rama Pratt. Foster Pratt grounded to short and the Sox got a force. They were unable to turn the doubleplay, however and Slaton scored his team’s second run.
Foster Pratt executed a delayed steal effectively to put another runner in scoring position but Motto to Hiett to pop out to Hurt at second to end the inning.
The Sox extended their lead with two in the fourth. Matt Neal drew a lead-off walk and Jobe beat out a bunt single that drew a wild throw from third allowing neal to reach third as Jobe took second. And when Hurt cracked a solid single to left, both scored to make it 8-2.
Motto hit a Tyler Hill, his mound counterpart, to start the fifth then Parker cracked his second hit. A passed ball allowed the runners to take second and third, respectively. Ritter appeared to have picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center but on appeal, it was ruled that Hill had left third too soon, resulting in a doubleplay. Rogers followed with a drive toward the left-field corner only to have Rivers nicely track it down in the corner to retire the side.
Joiner relieved in the sixth and was greeted by a double from Slaton. But when Logan Karsten’s liner to short was speared by Brown, Slaton ranged too far from second. Brown’s toss to Hurt covering the bag completed the doubleplay. Rama Pratt grounded to Brown at short to end the inning.
In the home half, Neal singled and advanced on a hit-and-run grounder to third by Jobe. After Hurt walked, Pickett unloaded on the first pitch he saw and whacked it just inside the foul pole in left to end the game.
BRYANT BLACK SOX JUNIOR 11, HOT SPRINGS LAKESIDE RAMS AA 2
Rams ab r h bi Black Sox ab r h bi
Hill, p 2 0 0 0 Jobe, cf 3 2 2 0
Parker, ss 3 0 2 1 Hurt, 2b 3 2 2 2
Ritter, 3b 3 0 0 0 Pickett, 1b 3 2 1 3
Rogers, c 3 0 0 0 Milam, 3b 3 2 2 1
Slaton, 1b 3 1 3 0 Pultro, rf 3 1 1 1
Karsten, 2b 3 0 0 0 Brown, ss 2 0 1 1
R.Pratt, rf 3 0 1 0 Rivers, lf 3 0 1 1
F.Pratt, cf 1 1 0 1 Motto, p 3 0 0 0
Hiett, lf 1 0 0 0 Joiner, p 0 0 0 0
Neal, c2210
Totals 22 2 6 2 Totals 26 11 11 9
Lakeside 001 100 — 2
BRYANT 303 203 — 11
One out when game-ending run scored.
E—Karsten, Ritter 2. DP—Bryant 2. LOB—Lakeside 5, Bryant 4. 2B—Hurt, Milam, Slaton. HR—Pickett. SB—Milam, F.Pratt. S—Hiett, Brown.
Pitching ip r er h bb so
Lakeside
Hill (L) 5.1 11 8 11 3 4
Bryant
Motto (W) 5 2 1 5 0 1
Joiner 1 0 0 1 0 0
HBP—F.Pratt, Hill (by Motto). WP—Motto. PB—Neal.
