Bryant looks to rotation to lead way at regional

The Bryant Blacksox qualified for the American Legion regional tournament two years ago with a roster full of run producers. This year, the Blacksox are known more as run stoppers.

With a 36-4 record and a team ERA under 2.00, Bryant will pin its hopes of a deep postseason run behind a solid four-man rotation.

AMERICAN LEGION

AAA STATE TOURNAMENT

At Bryant

SATURDAY’S GAMES

Game 1 Mountain Home vs. Jacksonville, 10 a.m.

Game 2 Fort Smith vs. Jonesboro, 1 p.m.

Game 3 Cabot vs. Texarkana, 4:30 p.m.

Game 4 Bryant vs. North Little Rock, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 10 a.m.

Game 6 Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, 1 p.m.

Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 4 p.m.

Game 8 Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 7 p.m.

"We had a really good team two years ago," Blacksox Manager Darren Hurt said. "This team has a chance to be just as good or better, but they still have some work to do."

The AAA American Legion state tournament begins today in Bryant with the host team as the favorite. The eight-team double-elimination tournament is scheduled to conclude Wednesday. The winner of the state tournament will advance to the regional tournament, which will begin in two weeks in North Little Rock.

"This team and the team we had two years ago are very comparable," said Hurt, who is in his sixth year of coaching Bryant's senior team. "The team two years ago scored a lot of runs. This team is getting it done with pitching and defense. ... We've got a pitching staff that's allowing under two runs a game, and that's almost unheard of."

Nate Rutherford, who pitched for Arkansas Tech during the spring, is expected to get the nod for tonight's opening-round game against North Little Rock. Rutherford is 7-0 with a 1.25 ERA.

"He's our oldest and most experienced pitcher, and he's had a phenomenal year," Hurt said. "He's played a big role for us, even when he's not on the mound. He's always active with our other pitchers."

The remainder of Bryant's rotation -- Blake Patterson, Harrison Dale and Zack Jackson -- has proven to be reliable as well. Patterson is 8-0 this summer, while Dale was on the mound in Bryant's zone championship victory over Texarkana. Jackson is the youngster of the group, but Hurt said the junior-to-be at Bryant High School has been effective for the Blacksox.

"This a a group of guys who have been playing together since they were 4 and 5 years old," Hurt said. "A lot of them are the same bunch of kids who won the high school state championship in May. These are just a bunch of good players."

The tournament starts at 10 a.m. today with Mountain Home playing Jacksonville. Fort Smith and Jonesboro are scheduled for 1 p.m. The opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin 30 minutes following the completion of the Fort Smith-Jonesboro game. Cabot and Texarkana are matched up against each other following the end of the opening ceremonies.

Sports on 07/26/2014

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