After the Bryant Hornets shut out the Northside Grizzlies on the road 11-0 on senior Scott Schmidt’s one-hit shutout to begin 7A Central Conference play on Tuesday, the Hornets improved to 2-0 in league play with another rout on Thursday, this time a 14-4 five-inning win over the Catholic Rockets at Hornets Field in Bryant.
The Hornets (7-1-1, 2-0 Central) had all systems go early vs. the Rockets as they put a 5-spot up in the bottom of the first and put the game out of reach with a 6-spot in the third to take an 11-1 lead after three. The Hornets upped their advantage to 13-1 after four before the Rockets put up three runs in the top of the fifth before senior Brandon Hoover’s RBI single in the bottom of the fifth ended the game with the 10-run lead.
In the first, Bryant scored on an error and passed ball for the early 2-0 lead before freshman Austin Ledbetter’s 2-run triple made it 4-0. Hoover doubled in Ledbetter for the 5-0 lead after one. The Rockets scored an unearned run in the top of the second, but the Hornets would put things well out of reach in the bottom of the third.
Senior Matthew Sandidge would go deep on a 3-1 count to start the inning, and after two outs ensued, the Hornets would take advantage of three walks and three hits to score five more runs as Schmidt hit a 2-run single and sophomore Peyton Dillon hit a bases-loaded triple to clear the bases for the 11-1 lead.