Garrett Misenheimer is known for his hitting, but the Bryant BlackSox third baseman’s defensive skills also came into play Friday night.
Misenhiemer went 3 for 3 with 4 RBI, and his relay throw in the eighth inning helped the BlackSox escape with a 6-3 victory over Sedalia, Mo., in the winners bracket finals of the American Legion Mid-South Regional Tournament at Gary Hogan Field.
“That boy can hit,” Bryant Coach Darren Hurt said. “And that’s the bottom line. He wasn’t happy with his performance so far in the tournament. Mediocre is not good enough for him. He needed three hits today and he got them. And four RBI, he was on fire. It was great.”
The victory ensures that the BlackSox (31-8) will play for a regional title Sunday. Tonight, Bryant plays Texarkana at 5 p.m. If Texarkana wins, the Razorbacks will play either Sedalia or League City, Texas, on Sunday at 2 p.m. If Bryant wins, the BlackSox will play the 2 p.m. game Sunday. A second game will be necessary if Bryant loses either tonight or in the first game Sunday.
BRYANT 6, SEDALIA, MO. 3
Friday’s game came down to Bryant’s defensive gem to end the Sedalia eighth. The Missouri champions started the inning trailing 4-3, but leadoff hitter Dom Zerilli singled and took second on a sacrifice bunt. After a fly ball for the second out, Sedalia pinch hitter Mason Sanders lined a single to left field and Zerilli attempted to score.
Bryant’s Aaron Orender fielded the hit on one bounce and threw to Misenheimer, who relayed the throw to catcher Dylan Hurt. The throw beat Zerilli by two steps.
“I heard their coach behind me say to their runner, ‘Come on, come on,’ ” Misenheimer said. “I sunk down and saw that the runner was only halfway to the plate. We do relays every day in pregame. I figured when I relayed it that we had a pretty good chance of getting him.”
“That’s the game,” Coach Hurt said. “If we don’t make that play, we probably don’t come back with the momentum in the bottom of the inning. We might not score runs in the ninth. That was the play of the game.”
Misenheimer, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the third and another with a single in the fifth, delivered in the bottom of the eighth. His two-out, two-run single scored Orender and Logan Allen for a 6-3 BlackSox advantage.
In Thursday’s 6-0 victory over Ada, Okla., Misenheimer went 1 for 3 with two strikeouts and two walks.
“It felt good to get my bat back,” Misenheimer said. “I rarely have two strikeouts in one game before and it scared me. I didn’t know what was going on, but it felt good to get it back.”
Allen drove in Bryant’s two other runs and also scored three runs. He drove in a run with a triple in the third, doubled and scored in the fifth and hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Austin Kelly went 5 2/3 innings and picked up the victory. He struck out 4, walked 6 and hit 2 batters. Seth Tucker pitched a perfect ninth inning to collect the save.
Jake Kindle and Steven Bradbury each drove in runs for Sedalia. Starting pitcher Chase Plymell took the loss, giving up 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking 3.
TEXARKANA 7,
ADA (OKLA.) 4, (11)
Texarkana squandered a three-run lead in the ninth before earning a victory over Ada, Okla., in an elimination game.
Infielders Nick Myers and Logan Vidrine each had run-scoring singles in a four-run 11th as the Razorbacks (36-4) advanced to the final four of the eightteam, double-elimination tournament. Texarkana pitcher Tanner Vaught nohit Ada for 6 2/3 innings and held a 3-0 lead with one out in the ninth before the Oklahoma state champions connected on four consecutive hits, including a bases-loaded double by third baseman Hunter Capps.
Razorbacks’ reliever and eventual winner Zac Harrington got the final two outs of the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Vaught struck out eight and walked only three — two of which were intentional. He allowed two baserunners through the first six innings. He gave up a walk to Ada pitcher Elliott Tucker to start the third and second baseman Grant Powell reached on an error with one out in the fifth. He did not give up a hit until shortstop Darian Davis hit a two-strike pitch up the middle with two outs in the seventh.
Blake Hall’s two-run single in the fifth helped the Razorbacks open up their three-run lead before Ada, which had gone 17 consecutive innings without a run, responded with Capps’ three-run double to tie the game at 3-3 in the ninth.
Texarkana took a 4-3 lead in the 11th after Parker Ribble drew a bases-loaded walk. Myers followed with a run-scoring single, and an error on the same play increased the Razorbacks’ lead to 6-3. Vidrine’s fourth single capped the Texarkana scoring.
An error allowed Ada to score one run in the bottom half of the inning, but that was all it could muster.
Ada had seven of its nine hits in the final three innings. Gabe Simons, Davis and Powell had two hits each.
Jeff Shaffer, the fourth of Ada’s five pitchers, took the loss.
Texarkana finished with 14 hits.
LEAGUE CITY (TEXAS) 12,
PONTOTOC (MISS.) 0
Designated hitter Jordan Gunter hit a two-run home run, drove in three runs and scored three runs as the Texas state champions eliminated the Mississippi champions in a seven-inning contest.
Aron Solis went the distance to pick up the victory for League City. The 5-11 right-hander held Pontotoc to 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 6. He also hit a batter.
League City sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning, knocking out left-handed starter Witt Roaton after only 2/3 of an inning.
Sports on 08/06/2016