Texarkana, Black Sox split wins
The spoils were split between the Red River Credit Union Texarkana Razorbacks and Bryant Black Sox in an American Legion baseball Zone 4 doubleheader Tuesday at Joe Blagg Field.
The host Hogs had their way in an opening 6-1 victory between the two teams that faced off for the Arkansas state championship and Mid-South Regional title—which was decided by a head-to-head tiebreaker for Texarkana. The Razorbacks went on to win the AL World Series championship.
The Black Sox fought back in Game 2 to erase a 1-0 deficit and secure a 3-1 win.
Game 1 Razorbacks 6, Black Sox 1
Logan Vidrine scattered eight hits, struck out five and walked none to power the Razorbacks to the opening victory.
Vidrine stranded six Black Sox on base with five in scoring position. He threw 95 pitches in the 7-inning complete game.
Texarkana backed the right-hander with 10 hits and error-less defense. The Razorbacks struck early against Bryant in the first inning.
Parker Ribble lined a single to left to start the bottom of the first for Texarkana, and Riley Orr bunted for a hit. A throwing error loaded the bases with no outs, but a grounder to third cut down the runner at the plate.
Orender struck out the next batter and got a flyout to deep center to end the inning, stranding two in scoring
position.
The Black Sox knotted the score in the third.
Seth Tucker, the No. 9 batter in the lineup, lined a stand-up double to left-center field with one out. Logan Allen, who doubled to start the game and was stranded at third, singled up the middle to drive in Tucker.
Beau Burson delivered a 1-out single for the Razorbacks in the bottom of the fourth but was thrown out attempting to steal second. A throwing error allowed the next batter to reach, and a wild pitch moved him to second.
Kade Garmany’s hard grounder to center plated the go-ahead run, and Tyler Moreland legged out an infield hit. Ribble lined a stand-up RBI double into the left-field corner, but a relay throw was in time to get Moreland out at home to end the inning.
Orr walked to lead off the fifth, and John Michael Russ plated him with a double to left-center, making it 4-1. Burson lined a 2-out single inside the right-field line to score Russ.
Russ had a 2-out double with two on in the sixth to drive in the final run. He finished 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI. Burson was 2 for 3 with a double and RBI, Orr was 2 for 2, and Ribble 2 for 4 with a double and RBI.
Allen led Bryant with three hits, including a double, and Tucker was 2 for 3 with a double.
Game 2
Black Sox 3, Razorbacks 1
Seth Tucker worked four innings of 3-hit relief to earn the pitching win after Bryant rallied in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Tucker had five strikeouts, walked one and hit three. Starter Alex Shurtleff allowed just one hit in three innings.
Reliever Justin Swecker absorbed the loss, giving up three runs— two earned—on three hits in two innings of work. He fanned four and walked a pair.
After a 1-out walk, John Michael Russ reached on a fielder’s choice in the first inning. He moved to third on Will Smith’s single to right and scored on a wild pitch.
Texarkana got a runner on in the second, loaded the bases in the fourth and left two others in the fifth, Tucker stranding the final five runners on base.
The Black Sox got to Swecker after he landed awkwardly on a delivery. He struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches before appearing to tweak his lower leg slightly.
The next batter walked on five pitches, and Logan Allen singled to right, attracting a throw to third as Tucker advanced from first to third. The throw sailed high, scoring Tucker to tie the game.
The next batter walked on a 7-pitch at-bat, and Dylan Hurt bunted in the go-ahead run, his slow-roller to first going for a single. Matthew Sandidge roped the first he saw into the left-center alley for an RBI single.
Swecker struck out the next batter and induced an inning-ending grounder to short. He retired the side in order in the sixth, with two more strikeouts.
Tucker walked the leadoff batter in the seventh but fanned the next three to clinch the split.
Cole Boyd, Smith, Russ and Orr had singles for the Hogs. Allen and Hut each had two hits, and Sandidge doubled for Bryant.