MOUNTAIN HOME — On their way to Springfield, Mo., for the Mid-America Tournament, the Bryant Black Sox dropped in on Mountain Home Lockeroom for a pair of Senior American Legion games on Wednesday.
The Sox ran their winning streak to 10 in the first game then, in a five-inning contest, had the streak snapped by Lockeroom, 7-4.
Now 12-10 overall, the Black Sox were set to open play in the tourney with a pool play contest against the 417 Hooks of Springfield at 8 p.m., today.
Bryant 6, Mountain Home 3
Cade Drennan had three hits and two runs batted in while Coby Greiner went 2 for 2 with two knocked in. Will Hathcote added two singles and Logan Catton, who had a 10-game hit streak snapped in the second game of a doubleheader with Paragould on Tuesday, picked up where he left off with two knocks.
Peyton Dillon turned in one of his most effective starts of the season, shutting out Mountain Home over the first three innings while the Sox established a 2-0 lead.
Lockeroom got on the board in the bottom of the fourth but Bryant scored twice in the top of the fifth to regain some breathing room.
In the bottom of the fifth, Mountain Home rallied once again. Will Gross led off with a looping single to center. But Dillon got Tanner Burnham to pop to Catton at second. Chase Orf sacrificed Gross to second then Gage Harris singled him in to make it 4-2.
Tyler Bates relieved for the Sox and got the third out of the inning on Josh Prinner’s grounder to Catton.
The game went to the seventh with the Sox up by two. With two out in the top of the inning, Drennan singled to center and Slade Renfrow, running for Drennan, stole second ahead of an RBI double by Dillon. Greiner yanked an RBI single to left and the Sox led 6-2.
In the home half, a pair of walks to Gross and Burnham gave Mountain Home a chance. But Orf grounded to Brayden Lester at third, who got a force at the bag. Harris, again, came through with an RBI single. With the potential tying run at the plate, Bates got Prinner to pop to Catton to end the game.
The Sox took the lead initially in the top of the third when Ethan Andrews drew a lead-off walk. He was forced at second as Speer tried to sacrifice then Speer was forced on Noah Davis’ grounder to short.
Catton kept the inning going with an infield hit, setting the table for Drennan, who drilled an RBI double.
Dillon, meanwhile, pitched around a one-out single by Harris in the first and a lead-off single from T Duffy in the second. Again, in the third, a lead-off single gave Mountain Home hope of getting on the board, but Gross was stranded as Dillon set down the next three.
In the fourth, Greiner worked a lead-off walk after being down in the count 0-2. When Lester tried to sacrifice, Gross got to the ball and tried to get the force on Greiner at second, but his throw was late.
Though Greiner was subsequently thrown out trying to steal third, Lester got into scoring position and Hathcote delivered a lined single to right to get him home, making it 2-0.
Mountain Home used a single by Prinner and a double by Tyler Guffy to get its first run home in the bottom of the fourth. But Dillon retired the next three including Jim Strider on strikes to strand Guffy.
Davis doubled to open the Bryant fifth. Catton singled and, again, Drennan came through with an RBI single up the middle.
Though Catton was picked off first, Renfrow, in again for Drennan, swiped second and scored easily on Greiner’s double to right, making it 4-1.
Mountain Home 7, Bryant 4
The Sox had a 4-3 lead in a nip-and-tuck game going into the bottom of the third when Lockeroom erupted for three runs to gain the upper hand. Relievers Andrew Cantway and Gross each pitched a scoreless inning to close out the abbreviated victory.
Bryant only had three hits, a double by Davis and singles by Catton and Dillon.
The Sox suffered four errors in the game so only four of the seven Mountain Home runs were earned as Josh Turner only surrendered five hits with one walk. Two of the Lockeroom hits, however, were triples.
The Sox grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Davis doubled and Catton singled. Drennan’s grounder to third was misplayed and it was 1-0. With Catton at third, Dillon made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Turner struck out the first Mountain Home batter to start the bottom of the inning, but a trio of errors ensued, producing a run. Another strikeout had Turner and the Sox in position to get out of the inning with the lead. But Carter Graves singled to center to tie it. Strider tried to score as well but Greiner threw him out at the plate to end the inning.
A one-out walk to Renfrow gave the Sox a chance to regain the lead in the top of the second. He advanced to second on Speer’s grounder then third on a wild pitch before Davis was hit by a pitch. The duo worked a double steal and Davis drew a throw and stayed in a rundown until Renfrow had scored.
Asa Smith was hit by a pitch and Jake Hutson walked to start the Mountain Home second. A grounder to Catton at second resulted in a force but Noah Everett singled to right to tie the game before the Sox turned a doubleplay to end the inning.
Once more, the Sox regained the upper hand in the top of the third. On a 2-2 pitch, Catton was plunked and, after Drennan’s grounder to short was kicked, Dillon, trying to sacrifice, beat out the bunt for a hit.
Catton scored the go-ahead run when Greiner grounded into a force at second.
A triple by Prinner opened the Mountain Home third. With one out, Will Uchtman singled to right to tie the game. An error allowed Graves to reach and, with two on, Smith tripled to right to make it 6-4.
Smith was stranded at third when Turner fanned Hutson and got Harris to bounce out to Lester at third.
Despite a walk to Speer and Davis getting hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the fourth, the Sox were prevented from retaliating in the top of the fourth by Candway.
In turn, Mountain Home used a hit batsman, a wild pitch and a groundout to get a runner to third with one out. Catton relieved Turner at that point and Prinner greeted him with a sacrifice fly to set the final score.
Dillon was struck by a 2-2 pitch to lead off the top of the fifth but was erased on a doubleplay. A strikeout ended the game.
