Four straight bunts helped set up a monster fourth inning as the A&M Consolidated baseball team run-ruled rival Bryan 14-2 in six innings in the crosstown showdown at the BSN Invitational Friday night at Edible Field.
The Tigers (3-0) never trailed in the game after reeling off three runs in the first, but the fourth inning featured plenty of insurance runs and gave Consol major separation.
What created the carnage was the Tigers’ ability to play small ball, daring Bryan to make a play on Consol’s bunt attempts.
Cannon Kieschnick led off with a bunt single and Gage Boyd’s bunt was fielded but thrown away as he reached first and Kieschnick went to third. Jordan Fowler’s bunt single the following at-bat scored Kieschnick and Joaquin Costa bunted to reach first safely to load the bases for Kai Hood.
This time, the Tigers swung the bat as Hood cleared the bases with a ringing triple. He was brought home on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Hodge for just the inning’s first out. The bats stayed hot after the out as Blake Boedeker tripled and scored on a RBI groundout by Klayton Kurtz for the final run of the inning.
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Going into the fourth, Consol led 3-2 over Bryan but by the time it was over, the lead ballooned to 9-2.
The bottom of the fourth saw Consol turn the ball over to Michael Pozzi on the mound and kept the Vikings (1-1) at bay the rest of the way. Pozzi pitched the final three innings and allowed just one hit and walked three while striking out two on 34 pitches.
Pozzi came in relief of starting pitcher Will Hargett. Hargett worked the first three innings and struck out five while giving up two hits, walking four and giving up two runs on 66 pitches. Bryan’s Chance Crawford scored on a double steal in the first and Mason Garcia led off with a triple in the second before scoring on a wild pitch.
The fourth was the spark Consol needed at the plate as the Tigers scored one run in the fifth as Fowler came around to score thanks to a single, back-to-back hit by pitches and a fielding error. The sixth saw two pitching changes for Bryan as Consol scored four runs to put the game away.
Pozzi pitched the bottom of the sixth and got a fielder’s choice, a strikeout and a groundout on five batters to end the ballgame.
Consol ends its three-day run at the invitational against Bishop Lynch on Saturday at 9 a.m. at Edible Field. Bryan closes out its opening day weekend with Lufkin at 1:30 p.m. and Huntsville at 3:45 p.m.
