BRYANT – It was all Bryant Hornets Monday against Saline County rival Benton Panthers. The Hornets would dominate in all three phases – pitching, fielding and hitting – of the game in a 10-0 win over the Panthers, outhitting Benton 14-2 and playing errorless ball at Hornets Field in Bryant.
“It’s one of those rare occasions all the phases of the game come together,” Bryant Coach Kirk Bock said. “I told them they need to remember these days because they don’t happen all the time. Especially high school, it’s very seldom all three phases come together, and it did (Monday).”
But it was on the mound the Hornets really shined. Starting senior right-handed pitcher Zach Jackson pitched three hitless and scoreless innings, striking out five, and junior lefty Beaux Bonvillain pitched three more scoreless innings in relief, giving up two hits and striking out three.
“Zach was on a pitch count and (Chase) Nix, their leadoff hitter, ate into it,” Bock said. “He had about 10 pitches right there or Zach might have went out another inning.
“Beaux did a tremendous job of just keeping them off-balance. When he starts throwing backwards like that, that fastball explodes on you.”
Jackson, an Arkansas Razorbacks’ signee, struck out the side in the first inning, and after hitting senior Brinson Williams with a pitch in the top of the second, Jackson retired the remaining six men he faced. Bonvillain gave up the hardest hit ball of the day, senior Colten Nix’s double to straightaway center, with one out in the fourth inning, but the Bryant lefty struck out the next two batters.
“Right now we’re either feast or famine at the plate,” Benton Coach Mark Balisterri said. “We’re outstanding or nothing. We have to put some consistency together. We have to get some runners on base for Colten Nix. You have a guy swinging it like he is and we’re not getting any runners on base. “We’re going to mix the lineup up a little bit. Everybody knows what Brinson Williams did last year and he’s not getting a whole lot of good pitches to hit.”