Sports

PBNB FALLS TO STAR CITY IN LEGION PLAY

By Troy Schulte/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, July 3, 2009 12:09 AM CDT

WHITE HALL — The last time Pine Bluff National Bank met Bank of Star City at White Hall Field, the AA American Legion team was in the middle of its best stretch of play all summer.

PBNB swept Star City in a doubleheader June 11 when it was able to collect timely hits and take advantage of several Star City mistakes. On Thursday, it was Star City (17-9) scattering runs over four innings in an eventual 8-5 win in Game 1 before Brent Noble pitched four scoreless innings in an eventual 4-2 win in Game 2.

“We played a lot better (than the last time),” Star City coach Lance Gasaway said. “The pitching was good. We had our two best pitchers going tonight.”

The most disappointing thing for PBNB coach Vince Stone were the mistakes his team made in the field and its complacent bats.

PBNB made four errors in the two games and, in the first game, did most of its damage in one inning. In the second game, PBNB (30-6) scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 2, but stranded at least one runner in each of the final four innings.

“I know we’ve been playing a lot of baseball and they’re starting to get tired,” PBNB coach Vince Stone said. “I just don’t think we’re playing with the intensity we were early on (in the summer).”

In the opening game, Star City took a lead when Noble scored on a Jordan Frizzell double in the second. Star City then scored three runs, two of which were unearned, in the third and two more in the fourth when Zach Altom hit a two-run home run off reliever Deonta Howard. The next inning, James White and Ross Weatherford each scored after hitting singles.

Trailing 8-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth, PBNB got within 8-5 when Spencer Staggs led off with a single and Howard drove him in with a double. Two batters later, Ryan Bowlin singled and Howard scored when Tanner Moore singled. Bowlin scored when Ryan Dardenne doubled to right field and Jared James’ groundout drove in Moore to make it 8-5.

But PBNB managed just a pair of walks in the final two innings as Seth Bryant finished the complete-game victory. Bryant, a Monticello High School graduate who redshirted last season at Southern Arkansas, struck out four batters and walked only one.

“He’s good,” Gasaway said. “(Coaches at SAU) are getting him ready down there. He throws in the low 90s.”

Noble was just as effective in the second game. After the first inning he allowed a pair of singles in the second, Zach Barr reached on an error in the third and a single in both the fourth and the fifth innings. Twice a PBNB runner reached third base before Noble was able to work out of jams.

“We had our chances,” Stone said. “When you get guys on base in a tight game you have to put the ball in play. I know strikeouts are going to happen, but we had (three) strike outs tonight looking.”

Dardenne, Barr, Staggs and Howard each collected hits for PBNB in the second game and Bowlin, Moore, Dardenne Staggs and Howard did so in the first.

Cameron Stone scattered four hits over four innings pitched in the second game and allowed two runs. Colson pitched the seventh inning and allowed Frizzell, who had five hits in the two games, to single and score on a Bryant single and Gasaway scored on an Altom double.

PBNB finishes its regular season schedule with a 6 p.m. game Monday at Taylor Field against Little Rock Blue.

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