Knocking Sox off: Despite the odds against them, Razorbacks sweep Bryant for title

Texarkana Razorbacks'  Black Hall makes a catch in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Bryant Black Sox on Sunday, July 24, 2016 in Conway, Ark.
Texarkana Razorbacks' Black Hall makes a catch in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Bryant Black Sox on Sunday, July 24, 2016 in Conway, Ark.

CONWAY, Ark.-After a day-long dog fight, Texarkana clawed out an American Legion Senior state championship with a pair of wins over arch-rival Bryant Saturday at Hendrix College.

The Red River Credit Union Razorbacks came from behind twice to post 6-4, 9-7 wins
over Bryant.

Both teams came out of Sunday's play with hopes high. Little Rock will be the site of the Southern Regional in two weeks and, as host, Arkansas owns two berths in the battle of state champions.

Texarkana will open against the Mississippi champion. Bryant will take on the Kansas champion.

The Razorbacks (33-3) came into Sunday's game with their backs against the wall, forced to fight through the losers' bracket after a 10-0 pounding a by Bryant (26-9-1) a day earlier.

"We had to win two, and Bryant hasn't lost two in a row all season," Texarkana coach Dane Peavy said. "We talked about doing the impossible. People say you can't do that, but we did today.

"The kids played their hearts out," Peavy said. "They played them out for each other, not just for me."

Bryant coach Darren Hurt credited Texarkana with a spirited comeback after Saturday's loss.

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ADG photo by Karen E. Segrave -- 11/26/12 -- Top 6 house. 300 East Third. Apt 801

"They came out firing, but we knew they would," he said. "They did a good job against us."

Texarkana has won four of the last seven senior Legion state titles, Bryant the other three.

 

Texarkana 6, Bryant 4

Arkansas High ace Patrick Flanagan pitched a solid 8 2-3 innings and the Razorbacks rallied from a three-run deficit to force the second game.

"Credit Flanagan. He did a great job against us," said Hurt. "We did a great of putting ourselves in a position to win it in the end, but we just couldn't put many hits together."

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Corrado Rovaris conducts the Artosphere Festival Orchestra at Fayetteville's Walton Arts Center

Flanagan was still going strong when he hit a 110-hit pitch limit with two outs in the ninth. Arkansas this year agreed to be a pilot project for pitch limits, which will go into effect for American Legion teams nationwide in 2017.

"Patrick did a great job, a super job," said Texarkana coach Dane Peavy. "Yesterday was an anomaly. All you can do is keep playing hard, keep fighting, and good things will happen. That's what we did in this game.

"After that win, we felt we were back home again. We were playing the way we know how to play.'

Flanagan scattered six hits, walked two and struck out two. He surrendered four runs in the fourth, but kept the Black Sox off the board the rest of the way, putting down 15 of the last 18 hitters he faced.

Bryant starter Alex Shurtleff was equally effective through four, and the first three innings were a fast-paced pitchers' duel.

The Razorbacks got on the board first when they loaded the bases in the fourth, and Beau Burson drove in Will Smith with a ground ball to the right side.

The Black Sox stormed right back with four runs in the bottom of the frame, getting back-to-back-to-back-to-back RBI from Jordan Gentry, Jake East, Seth Tucker and Joey Cates to make it 4-1 after four.

It was 4-3 after Texarkana answered with a pair in the fifth.

Riley Orr and Matt Goodheart led off with back-to-back singles. Cole Boyd brought in Orr with a single to right and Goodheart scored on an infield ground-out by Blake Hall.

The Razorbacks chased Bryant Shurtleff with a three-run sixth. Parker Ribble and Burson led off with walks. Orr had an RBI single. Matt Goodheart drove in Burson with a double and came in on Blake Hall's infield single.

That made it 6-4, and that's where it stayed, thanks in part to 3 1-3 inning of solid relief from Bryant submariner Boston Heil, who surrendered just three hits the rest of the way

 

Texarkana    000    123    000    -    6    11    3

Bryant    000    400    000    -    4    6    1

Patrick Flanagan, Logan Vidrine (9) and Cole Boyd; Alex Shurtleff, Boston Heil (6) and Dylan Hurt. WP-Flanagan, LP-Shurtleff

 

Texarkana 9, Bryant 7

The Black Sox jumped on Razorback starter Austin Stubber early, but the Prescott righty settled down, allowing just one more run before hitting his pitch count limit in the sixth.

The Black Sox came out swinging and put up four runs in the bottom of the first on the strength of a walk, a hit batsman, a wild pitch, a balk and a 2-RBI double by Jordan Gentry.

It stayed that way until the fourth, when Texarkana landed a flurry of punches to touch up Bryant starter Beau Bonvillain for six runs on five hits and three Bryant errors.

"We played well, except for that six-run inning," Hurt said. "It's hard to survive that."

Matt Goodheart, Will Smith, Nick Myers, Parker Ribble, Beau Burson, Logan Vidrine and Riley Orr all had hits in the inning.

The Razorback uprising was followed by a 2-hour, 4-minute rain and lightning delay.

Bryant closed it to 6-5 in the fifth when Garrett Misenheimer singled and came in on a grounder by Gentry for his third RBI of the day.

The Razorbacks took that jab and answered with a three-run cross in their next at-bat. Boyd had the big blast, a two-run double. Hall singled to bring him in to make it 9-5.

The Black Sox counter punched, landing a powerful hook, good for three runs. The trouble came after two outs, when Stubber had to be pulled

Bryant roughed up his reliever. Beau Burson, thanks to three walks, and error and an RBI single by Misenheimer.

The 17-year-old righty from Magnolia settled down after that, pitching three scoreless innings to pick up the save.

 

Texarkana    000    603    000    -    9    13    2

Bryant    400    012    000    -    7    7    4

Austin Stubber, Beau Burson (6) and Will Smith; Beau Bonvillain and Logan Allen, WP-Stubber. LP-Bonvillain. S-Burson.

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