SHERIDAN — In their bid to rally from a 5-2 deficit in the bottom of the seventh, the Bryant Everett Buick GMC Black Sox got a clutch two-out, two-run single from Brandon Hoover. Then Cameron Coleman’s dumped a blooper down the left-field line. Ethan Thompson, running for Hoover, tried to get to third on the play but the Sheridan Yellowjackets’ left-fielder Clayton Palmer threw a strike to third baseman Justin Pruitt in time to nab him as the Sox absorbed a tough 5-4 loss on Saturday.
Sheridan advances to the winners bracket final on Sunday while the Sox must fight through the losers bracket. They’re set to play again at 3:30 Sunday afternoon against a team to be determined.
Bryant fell behind 4-0 in the first inning. Starting pitcher Austin Kelly struck out the first batter of the game and got the second out of the inning on strikes. But in between, he struggled to find the strike zone. Nathan Kirkpatrick dumped a double down the right-field line then consecutive walks were issued to Logan Mitchell, Hunter Hicks and Austyn Wright.
Kirkpatrick wound up scoring on a balk then Mitchell came home when Justin Pruitt was hit by a pitch. A wild pitch allowed Hicks to score then Heath Alexander walked to load the bases again.
Kelly struck out Dalton Domrase and had a 3-2 count on Tyler Cleveland. But another walk resulted and it was 4-0.
Lefty Beaux Bonvillain relieved for Bryant and shutout Sheridan on two hits over the next five innings.
In the bottom of the first, the Sox got one run back when Logan Allen singled, stole second, tagged and went to third on Seth Tucker’s fly to center then scored on a double to right-center by Garrett Misenheimer.
Misenheimer got to third on Coleman’s grounder to the right side but was stranded as Cleveland, the Sheridan pitcher, limited the damage.
In the second, Mitchell reached on an error for Sheridan but Bonvillain picked him off. He also picked off Pruitt after he singled with one down in the third.
The Sox got a runner to second in the second. With one out, Aaron Orender walked and stole second. But, with two down and a 3-2 count on Jeffrey Hastings, Orender left second too early and Cleveland stepped off the rubber and threw him out at third.
Sheridan threatened in the fourth when, with two down, Palmer singled and Kirkpatrick walked but Bonvillain fanned Mitchell to keep it 4-1.
Misenheimer opened the home fourth with his second double and when it was misplayed in center, he sprinted to third. Coleman followed with blast to the foot of the fence in right-center for an RBI triple.
But Cleveland retired the next three Sox forcing them to strand Coleman at third.
Bonvillain, who fanned nine in his 6 1/3 innings of relief, surrendered a double to Wright with one out in the top of the fifth. Pruitt’s groundout got him to third but Alexander struck out to end the threat.
The Sox got another opportunity in the home fifth. With one out, Hastings’ pop between the mound and third was dropped as Pruitt and Cleveland ran into each other. Allen followed by slicing a single into right.
Again, however, Cleveland wriggled out of the jam getting Tucker to foul out to the catcher. Hoover pinch-hit for Misenheimer, who had fallen ill in the heat while catching and running out a pair of doubles. Cleveland struck him out to send it to the sixth still 4-2.
Bonvillain eased through a nine-pitch inning and the Sox got another chance to score. Kelly was hit by a pitch with one down, stole second and drew a wild throw that allowed him to take third. But he got no further as Cleveland fanned Christian Harp and got Orender to sky to center.
Sheridan added what proved to be a crucial run in the top of the seventh. Kirkpatrick drew a lead-off walk. Mitchell, trying to bunt him over, struck out but then an errant pickoff throw allowed Kirkpatrick to sprint all the way to third. He held there as Hunter Hicks’ soft grounder to short was fielded by Tucker, who checked Kirkpatrick and threw to first for the second out.
Moments later, however, a passed ball allowed Kirkpatrick to score, making it 5-2.
Bryant’s seventh began with pinch-hitter Myers Buck slapping a single to right. Wright, the Sheridan catcher, made a tough play on a foul pop near the Bryant dugout off Hastings’ bat then Allen bounced into a force at second. He kept the Sox alive by hustling to first and beating the relay as Sheridan tried to end it with a doubleplay.
And when Tucker mashed the next pitch beyond the centerfielder for a double the potential tying run was at the plate. A strike away from the end of the game, Hoover came through with the two-run single to left-center.
