BIG RED SERIES SPLIT
Hornets top Panthers late
BENTON – The Bryant Hornets had been held to just one hit and no runs down 2-0 through six innings in Friday’s Big Red Series showdown with rival Benton Panthers and were down to their last two outs going into the final inning. The bats would wake up, however, as the Hornets scored four runs in the top of the seventh and senior Austin Ledbetter struck out the side in the bottom of the inning to claim a 4-2 victory over the Panthers, remaining perfect on the season, at Everett Field at Panther Stadium.
“That’s kind of the way we’ve been doing things of late,” Bryant Coach Travis Queck said of the slow start. “Our pitching and defense is carrying us, we just have to do a better job of getting on these pitchers earlier. It’s only going to get tougher as they get more into the season. We have to do a better job offensively and that’s on us as a staff and I to figure it out.”
It was a pitchers’ duel throughout as Benton senior Caleb Sollars was almost perfect until that final inning and Bryant junior Turner Seelinger gave up just one hit, one walk and one run in his five innings of work, with that first run of the game coming in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Benton sophomore Jack Woolbright was hit by a pitch to start the sixth when Seelinger was lifted for senior Aiden Adams. Benton sophomore Brooks Lane sacrifice bunted Woolbright to second before senior Aidan Garrett walked. Ledbetter relieved Adams and gave up a 2-run double to Benton junior Andrew Armstrong to put the Panthers up 2-0. Ledbetter came back with a strikeout and induced a ground out to get out of the
inning.
Things were looking good for the Panthers (4-5) going into the final inning as Sollars, giving up a single in the fourth inning before retiring 10 straight Hornets including a fly out to start the seventh, was rolling. But, the Bryant bats came alive as senior Noah Davis singled to center and went to third on Ledbetter’s double to right. Davis scored on junior Connor Martin’s single to center for the 2-1 game before senior Jackson Parker gave the Hornets the lead for good with a 2-run double and 3-2 lead. Parker, who earned MVP honors, later scored on a passed ball for the 4-2 game before Ledbetter struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win.
“It all starts with the seniors and those three guys at the top,” Queck said. “Generally a rule of thumb getting that first out in that last inning is the ultimate key and that’s what Benton did. For that not to faze us - Noah coming up with the big hit with two strikes, Ledbetter hitting the double down the rightfield line. Then we had guys behind them step up. The senior JT (Parker) came up with a big hit there.
“I attribute it to them, the never-say-die mentality. They just never shy away from anything that’s hard.”
It was truly a pitchers’ duel early as both Sollars and Seelinger were perfect through three innings not allowing a baserunner before Bryant senior Ryan Riggs singled to start the fourth. Sollars went on to retire 10 straight before the Hornets got to him. Seelinger didn’t give up his first hit until Lane led the bottom of the fourth with a single to left.
“Are you surprised,” Queck asked rhetorically. “That’s what this community’s M/O is, isn’t it? Both communities. Both communities have great baseball, great baseball people and just good ballplayers, as well. It was just a heck of a job, and their guy, keeping both lineups off balanced. It gave us an opportunity to get to the end of the game with a chance to win and that’s what you ask for.”
Seelinger’s final line was five innings for the no-decision, giving up one run on one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts. Ledbetter gave up a hit and struck out four in his 1.2 innings for the win.
Sollars gave up four runs (three earned) on five hits (four coming in the final inning), striking out three with no walks in 6.1 innings. Garrett struck out the only two batters he faced.
At the plate, Parker had the eventual game-winner, going 1 for 3 with two RBIS, Martin was 1 for 3 with an RBI, with Riggs, Davis and Ledbetter all finishing 1 for 3, too.
Armstrong had the big hit for the Panthers going 1 for 3 with two RBIS, with Lane’s fourth-inning single accounting for Benton’s only two hits.
Bryant (8-1) suffered its first loss of the season Saturday (4-2) against the Greenbrier Panthers at
Gary Hogan Field in Little Rock and open 6A Central Conference play Monday in Fort Smith against Northside, while Benton begins 5A Central league action Tuesday, hosting the Beebe Badgers.