Black Sox down Arkadelphia in 1st round
CONWAY – Down
2-0 after three innings to Arkadelphia in the first round of the Senior American Legion State Tournament, Noah Davis and the Bryant Black Sox changed all that in the bottom of the fourth inning. Davis would hit a 3-run home run to put the Sox ahead for good in a 7-2 opening-round victory at Curtis Walker Park in Conway Friday morning.
Bryant (22-9) will take on Sheridan, which defeated Benton Everett Buick GMC 10-0 on Friday, today at 6 p.m. at Bear Stadium in Conway.
Things weren’t looking great early for the Black Sox as Arkadelphia picked up a run on a two-out RBI single in the top of the first off of Bryant starter Slade Renfrow. Another RBI single in the third gave Arkadelphia a 2-0 lead after three, but Renfrow would blank Arkadelphia the rest of the way and the Bryant bats got going in the bottom of the fourth.
Jake Wright put Bryant on the board with a solo home run on a 3-2 count to start the inning. Gage Stark was hit by a pitch and Peyton Dillon walked two batters later before Davis hammered a 3-run shot over the left-field fence to put the Black Sox up for good at 4-2 after four.
Arkadelphia walked five Bryant batters in the fifth, with two coming in with the bases loaded as Dillon and Davis both walked with the
bases juiced for the 6-2 lead after five.
Bryant scored its last run when Logan Chambers, who singled to start the inning, scored on a passed ball for the 7-2 final.
Other than the two runs in the first three innings, Renfrow was excellent on the mound, giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits and four walks, striking out seven in a complete seven innings pitched.
Davis, who was named the Junior State American Legion Tournament MVP just two days earlier for the Jr. Sox state title, finished 1 for 2 with the homer and four RBIS. Wright was also 1 for 2 with a homer, two runs and an RBI. Chambers, Stark and Logan Grant all went 1 for 3 in the win.