The Bryant Black Sox senior American Legion team improved to 16-2 on the year with a 5-3 Battle of Omaha opening victory over Minot, North Dakota, Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska.
It was a close game throughout as the Black Sox picked up a run in the bottom of the first inning when Jake Wright hit a two-out solo homer for the early 1-0 lead.
Minot would tie things up with a two-out RBI triple in the top of the third, but Bryant responded in the bottom of the inning.
Logan Chambers singled but was thrown out at second on Scott Schmidt’s failed sacrifice bunt attempt for a fielder’s choice. But, Wright came through yet again with an RBI double to to plate Schmidt for the 2-1 lead. Wright advanced to third on the throw home and scored on Cade Drennan’s sacrifice fly for the 3-1 lead after three.
It remained a 2-run game until the fifth as Minot would not go away, putting up two more runs on a 2-run single for the 3-3 ballgame after five innings.
The Black Sox would get things going in the sixth as Matthew Sandidge hit a one-out single, went to second when Logan Catton was hit by a pitch and the bases were loaded on Coby Greiner’s single. Chambers followed with a 2-run double to set the final score as Greiner set Minot down in order in the seventh to secure victory.
Greiner picked up the win in relief, pitching two perfect innings with a strikeout. Peyton Dillon started for Bryant giving up three runs on five hits and a walk, striking out six in five innings for a no-decision.
Both Wright and Chambers went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, while Sandidge and Greiner also went 2 for 3. Schmidt went 1 for 3 with a run and Myers Buck went 1 for 3 as well. Catton went 1 for 2 with a run and Drennan had an RBI without a hit.