By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Sylvan Hills woke up loudly, but woke up too late.
The junior Cabot American Legion team carried a 10-0 lead into the final inning on Thursday evening, then withstood a suddenly wide-awake Bruins club to post a 10-5 win at Burns Park. Sylvan Hills entered the fifth and final inning withjust two hits against Cabot starter and winner Cole Nicholson, but erupted for three singles, two triples and two doubles before shortstop Chase Thompson started a 6-4-3 double play to end it.
The victory followed a disappointing 4-2 loss to Bryant on Wednesday night — one that had Cabot head coach Andy Runyan less than pleased.
“We played pretty poorly (Wednesday),” said Runyan, whose team improved to 8-2-2. “We finished up at 9:30 and had a little practice session afterwards. After that, I think they had a better idea of what Cabot baseball is supposed to be like.”
The way Nicholson was mowing them down – four strikeouts, just two hits through four innings – Cabot’s early 2-0 lead seemed safe.
Nicholson’s single and a throwing error put Cabot up 1-0 in the first, and Joe Bryant’s single and Powell Bryant’s hard-hit ground out to second made it 2-0 in the third. Joe Bryant went 3 of 4 with two runs and two RBI.
But Cabot would turn out to need its big fourth inning, when it sent 11 to the plate, scoring seven on just three hits. The big blows were Andrew Reynolds’ stinging 3-run double to the fence in left-center and Joe Bryant’s 2-run single. Three walks, a hit batsman and two Sylvan Hills’ errors helped Cabot’s cause in the inning.
“Both (Joe Bryant and Reynolds) have been a little frustrated with themselves lately,” Runyan said. “Joe hit the ball well today.
And it was a big game for Andrew because he went to the opposite field gap. He’s been hitting it well but he’s been pulling it.
He really kept that front shoulder closed and got a good swing.
“Hopefully, that will be a big step toward getting him started.”
Tyler Carter’s pinch single in the fifth made it 10-0.
But just like that, the Bruins’ bats came fully to life in the final inning. While everyone on hand had turned their attention to the upcoming senior game, the junior Bruins had other ideas. Michael Lock started it with a pinch single, followed by Cain Cormier’s triple. Casey Cerrato’s triple and Ryan Dillon’s double chased Nicholson in favor of Tyler Cole.
“Credit Sylvan Hills. They started swinging the bats,” Runyan said. “We tell our guys, when you get a big lead, just throw strikes. Our pitchers did that. Cole got a little tired because he had just thrown an excellent game at the Fat City Tournament on Sunday.”
Tyler Cole came in and got a strikeout, but a double and two singles followed to make it 10-5, with two on and still just one out. But Cole got a grounder to Thompson, who began the game-ending double play.
Each team had nine hits.
Cabot hosted Morrilton last night and will host Vilonia in a doubleheader today at 2 p.m.
