By RAY BENTON
Leader sports writer
Sylvan Hills made short work of Cabot Thursday night in the first round of the Class AAA American Legion Zone 4 tournament at Burns Park. The Bruins jumped ahead early and kept extending their lead throughout a 13-1 run-rule shortened matchup.
Sylvan Hills scored three runs in the first and two more in the second before blowing the game open in the third by sending six more runs across the plate. All three runs in the first inning were with the aid of three errors in the Home Depot outfield.
All six runs came after Cabot got two outs with nobody on base. That’s when leadoff hitter Shawn Bybee stepped to the plate and started the rally with a single to centerfield. Austin Gwatney and Ashur Tolliver followed with their own singles. Tolliver’s shot to straightaway centerfield was missed and rolled to the fence, scoring two runs and leaving Tolliver safe at third.
Richie Irvin made it four straight singles before Chase Elder ended the single streak with a double to right field.
With two runners on, Jarrett Boles smashed a shot over the fence in left field to cap the scoring in the inning and left the Bruins with an 11-0 lead.
The lead increased to 12-0 in the fourth. Nathan Van Schoyck led off with a triple and scored on a hit by Hayden Miller.
No one scored in the fifth inning, and Cabot finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth.
First baseman Chris Gross led off with a massive shot to right field that sailed over the scoreboard to produce Cabot’s only run of the game.
In the bottom of the frame, Miller led off for the Bruins with another triple, and scored on a base hit by Bybee.
Irvin led the Bruins’ offensive charge. All three of his base hits went for extra bases. Irvin finished with two doubles and a triple, and drove in two runs. Sylvan Hills hit three triples in the game.
Gwatney and Boles were the only other Bruins with multiple hits, but every Bruins starter got at least one. Boles finished with a double, a home run and four RBIs.
Carter Lance got the win on the mound for the Bruins. He threw all seven innings, giving up four base hits and one earned run while striking out six and walking two Home Depot batters.
The Bruins moved on to the semifinals of the winners bracket, where they faced off with Maumelle last night after Leader deadlines.
The loss dropped the Pan-thers to the losers bracket, and put them into a matchup with last night’s loser between Russ-ellville and North Little Rock. Look for complete details of those games Wednesday’s edition of The Leader.
