Dickson pitches one-hit shutout
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).
BENTON — Sophomore right-hander Zack Dickson fired a one-hit shutout as the Bryant Hornets won the consolation final of the Benton Invitational Tournament, 8-0, over the Greenbrier Panthers Tuesday afternoon.
The win was Bryant’s fifth in the last six games. The Hornets are 8-3 going into Friday’s game at Sylvan Hills. The Bears are one of the teams that have pinned a loss on the Hornets with a late-inning rally for a 5-3 victory in the J.A. Fair Tournament.
Dickson walked three and struck out six. The only Greenbrier hit was an infield single by B.J. Burgess to lead off the top of the sixth inning. Dickson responded by striking out the side in the sixth.
The Hornets did their damage in two innings, scoring four times in the first and third frames, respectively.
After Dickson had worked around a walk in the top of the first, Matt White got the Hornets’ offense in gear with a single and a stolen base to start the bottom half. Brandon Nichols walked then Dustin Morris sacrificed the runners to second and third for Anthony Rose, who drilled a run-scoring single. Michael McClellan kept the hit parade going with a double.
With runners at second and third, Matt Brown reached on an error as a third run scored. Beau Hamblen then completed the inning with an RBI single.
Dickson worked around a one-out walk in the second and a two-out error in the third to keep Greenbrier down.
In the bottom of the third, the Hornets completed the scoring. McClellan led off the inning with his second home run of the season. Brown followed with a double and Hamblen singled him home.
With one down, Tad Beene slapped a base hit and, after a pitching change, Nichols drew a two-out walk to load the bases for Morris who drilled a two-run double to make it 8-0.
Dickson continued to cruise, meanwhile. He retired the side in order in the fourth and worked around a one-out walk in the fifth before Burgess broke up the no-hitter to start the sixth.
The Hornets’ bats were quieted as well, however. Ricky Berry, who relieved in the third, worked a 1-2-3 fourth then Burgess took over in the fifth. He surrendered a one-out single to Beene but left him stranded then worked around a two-out error in the sixth.
In Greenbrier’s seventh, Dickson issued a lead-off walk but struck out the next batter before the Hornets ended the game with flair, turning a 6-4-3 doubleplay.
