By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot AA and Junior American Legion teams picked up their first wins of the season, and they were impressive road wins over the typically dominant Bryant Black Sox on Monday.
The junior team trailed 7-3 before rallying for an exciting 13-12 victory that lasted three hours.
The AA team pulled off a 6-5 win over Bryant’s AA squad.
In the game one marathon, Bryant got on the board first with a single run in the bottom of the opening inning, but Cabot took the lead with three in the top of the second. Bryant then put together a six-run second frame to take its four-run lead.
The visiting Centennial Bank squad then exploded for 10 runs in the top of the third by combining timely base hits with the Black Sox’ inability to find the strike zone or cleanly field ground balls.
Eugene Germer highlighted the inning for Cabot with a two-RBI base hit, and Centennial Bank led 13-7 at the end of the frame. Cabot didn’t score again in the final four innings, and held off the rallying home team.
Jack Broyles, who took the mound with one out in the bottom of the second inning, held Bryant scoreless in the bottom of the third, but the Black Sox posted four runs in the fourth.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Bryant added another run in the bottom of the sixth to pull within one run. Jacob Caswell took the mound for the visiting team and kept the Black Sox off the board to save the win for Cabot.
Centennial Bank’s 13 runs came on nine hits, seven walks, two hit batters and four Bryant errors.
Germer went 3 for 4 with three RBIs to lead Cabot offensively. Broyles and Logan Edmondson added two base hits apiece for the visiting team.
Broyles picked up the win on the mound for his 3 2/3 innings of work in middle relief.
In the nightcap, Cabot again stopped Bryant one run short on a rally after taking a three-run lead in the fifth.
The AA Centennial Bank team scored two in the top of the first inning, but Bryant tied it in the bottom half of the same frame. The Black Sox then took the lead with a single run in the bottom of the third, but Cabot regained the advantage with two in the top of the fourth. It added to its lead with two more in the top of the fifth, but Bryant mounted a comeback early in the bottom of the fifth.
The Black Sox scored two runs off starting pitcher Germer, before coach Casey Vaughan replaced him on the mound with Gavin Tillery. The reliever stopped Bryant in its tracks the rest of the way, saving the game and preserving the win on the mound for Germer.
Germer threw 4 2/3, giving up four hits, five runs including four earned. Tillery finished out the final 2 1/3, allowing just one hit and no runs. Blake Buffalo showed some stamina and grit by catching both lengthy games for Centennial Bank.
Cabot scored its six runs on six hits and three Bryant errors. Dillon Thomas led Centennial Bank with two hits while Buffalo and Brandon Jones drove in one run apiece for the visitors.
Centennial Bank resumes league play tonight with a Junior/AA doubleheader against Conway. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. It will be Cabot’s home opener in the Cabot Sports Complex and Water Park after two previous attempts at christening the new park were rained out.
