FORT SMITH -- Zach Jackson would not pitch without his belt, and he was not about to leave the mound.
Jackson, the Bryant ace and a University of Arkansas commitment, scattered 11 hits in pitching the Bryant BlackSox to a 5-2 victory over the Fort Smith Sportsmen in Tuesday's championship game of the American Legion state tournament at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith's Crowder Field.
Bryant (36-6-2) advances to the American Legion Mid-South Regional, which will be held at Hendrix College in Conway. Bryant will play the Texas state champion at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 5. Fort Smith finished the season at 32-6.
Trey Breeding, who was named the tournament's most outstanding hitter, picked up three of Bryant's 10 hits, including a run-scoring double in the fifth inning. Jason Hastings banged out two doubles. Drew Tipton tripled and singled in a run. Dylan Hurt also had two hits. Brandon Warner drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Logan Allen drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt.
But it was Jackson's savvy pitching that pushed Bryant to its second consecutive regional tournament appearance. Jackson threw 143 pitches. He struck out nine and walked one. Fort Smith left eight baserunners stranded.
"I did try to take him out after the eighth inning and I got chewed out pretty good," Bryant Manager Darren Hurt said. "It wasn't going to happen. And I was going to look like an idiot if I had two pitchers on the mound."
With one out in the ninth inning, Jackson's belt broke, but Bryant pitcher worked through wardrobe malfunction to finish off the Sportsmen, who used two one-out singles in their last-gasp attempt to rally.
"That's my belt," Jackson said. "I've been playing with that belt since I was 15. It's been hanging to two threads the whole season. When it broke, I got nervous."
"That belt has been on its last legs for about the last 12 games," Darren Hurt said. "But he's superstitious. He wouldn't take it off."
After striking out Josh Woolly to start the ninth inning, Jackson gave up back-to-back singles to Christian Neves and Colby Demato, but Jackson got out of the jam by getting Christian Brasher to hit into a force out and Will Klek to pop out to second baseman Conner Tatum in short right field.
"I wouldn't be the pitcher I am today or a Razorback commitment if it weren't for my defense," said Jackson, who allowed at least one baserunner in every inning. "They make me look better than I really am to be quite honest with you."
Despite the 143 pitches, Jackson said his arm felt good enough to go another three innings, but that his legs could not have lasted much longer.
"I told [Coach Hurt] that this was my game," Jackson said. " 'I know I'm on a pitch count, but I'll let you know if my arm was hurt.' I've had Tommy John [surgery] before and I'm not going through that process again."
The only times Fort Smith was able to break through against Jackson came with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Klek scored on an error after a single hit by Drew Person in the fourth. Woolly singled to start the fifth and eventually came around on Brasher's ground out.
Grady Coleman took the loss for Fort Smith. Coleman went 7 innings, gave up 4 runs, 9 hits, struck out 3 and walked 2.
TUESDAY'S SEMIFINAL
FORT SMITH 6, TEXARKANA 0
Jordan Lawrence pitched a complete-game shutout as Fort Smith defeated Texarkana in Tuesday's early elimination game.
Lawrence struck out five and walked none, completing the game in 107 pitches.
Tanner Wiley led the Sportsmen with three hits, including a two-run single in the eighth inning. Christian Neves also had three hits in Fort Smith's 12-hit attack.
Fort Smith took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a run-scoring single by Mason Edgmon and a ground ball by Josh Woolly. The Sportsmen added two more runs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Colby Demato and a double by Drew Person.
Texarkana starter George Eubanks gave up four runs, all unearned. Eubanks struck out 3, gave up 10 hits and walked 3, 1 intentionally. Brandon White and Matt Goodheart had two hits each for Texarkana.
Sports on 07/29/2015