Black Sox throw 4th no-hitter of season
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – To say the Bryant Black Sox senior American Legion squad has had an up-anddown season would be an understatement. Starting the year 2-9 overall, the Sox went on a 10-game win streak before it was snapped this past Wednesday in the second game of a doubleheader in Mountain Home. Bryant had to settle for a 5-5 tie in its first game of pool play of the Mid-america Tournament in Springfield, Missouri, on Thursday, but would get back on the winning track in a big way on Friday. Three pitchers combined to throw a four-inning no-hitter in a 16-0 romp over the Midwest Prospects in the tourney to improve the Sox to 13-10-1 overall. It was Bryant’s fourth no-hitter of the season.
Starter Coby Greiner and relievers Tyler Bates and Logan White combined for that no-hitter, with Greiner getting the win pitching 1.1 no-hit innings, walking two and striking out three. Other than the two walks in the first inning, the Black Sox were perfect as Bates and White combined to strike out three in 2.2 innings of work.
Scoreless after one inning, Greiner got things started with a single in the top of the second and Blaine Sears, who threw a no-hitter earlier this year, walked. Connor Martin laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error to load the bases before Lawson Speer plated Greiner with an infield single.
The Black Sox busted the doors open when leadoff man Noah Davis hit a bases-clearing triple for the
4-0 lead, with Ryan Riggs putting Bryant up 5-0 with a single to center. Riggs later scored on an error for the
6-0 lead after two.
The Sox put the game out of reach in the third as Bates hit an RBI single, Davis added two more RBIS with a double and Riggs doubled in Davis for the 10-0 advantage. Peyton Dillon’s RBI single scored another before three straight walks led to two more runs. Bates capped the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly for the 14-0 lead after three.
Bryant wasn’t done, though, as Braydan Lester tripled to start the fourth, and after two straight outs, Dillon singled him in. Greiner doubled in Dillon to set the final score.
Davis had a huge game at the plate knocking in five runs and scoring twice while going 2 for 4. Riggs was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIS and Dillon was 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIS as well. Greiner went 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI, with Cade Drennan also adding a mulit-hit game going 2 for 4. Bates finished 1 for 1 with two RBIS, with Martin and Speer adding a hit and RBI each in the rout.
Bryant played the
Hillcrest Merchants on Saturday, with results coming in Tuesday’s edition of The Saline Courier.