Photo courtesy of Jennifer Daves
LONOKE — At the Cal Ripken 8-and-under State Tournament, batters hit off pitching machines. On Sunday, in their second-round showdown, the Bryant 8-year-old All-Stars and the Sylvan Hills 8’s made a bid to wear that machine out as they each scored the maximum of six runs in two innings and combined for 33 runs.
Bryant wound up getting the better of it, winning 20-13, to advance in the winners bracket. Today at 4 p.m., they’re set to take on Hamburg. Sylvan Hills dropped into the losers bracket of the tourney.
The Bryant team, coached by Josh Daves, includes Luke Andrews, Jonathan Carter, Cohen Chalmers, Grant Daves, Kolby Duncan, Dante Hernandez, Colt Martin, Dawson Martin, Barrett Royal, Jake Taylor, Chance Thompson and Chase Trimble.
Everybody hit for Bryant on Sunday with Colt Martin going 4 for 4 with three runs scored and three knocked in. Taylor had three hits with two batted in and two runs. Chalmers, Trimble, Carter and Thompson adding two hits each.
The game was tied 13-13 after four innings but Bryant put together its second six-run burst in the top of the fifth and Sylvan Hills had no further answer.
In the top of the sixth, Colt Martin doubled and scored when Royal’s grounder to third was misplayed.
Bryant never trailed in the game after taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the opening frame. Duncan reached on an error to start the uprising with one down. He swiped second and scored when Colt Martin cracked a double. With two down, Chalmers’ grounder to third was booted and Martin scored.
Sylvan Hills got a run in the home first but Bryant got that back in the top of the second when Hernendez reached on a miscue and scored on Trimble’s double to left.
After a scoreless bottom of the second, Bryant maxed out in the third to grab a commanding 9-1 lead. Taylor got the offense revved up with a base hit and a steal. Duncan brought him home with a knock. He too stole second then reached third on an error. Colt Martin’s single to right made it 5-1.
Royal cracked a base hit up the middle. An error allowed Martin to score as Royal took second. Chalmers doubled him in. Dawson Martin made it 8-1 when he drilled a triple to left. He scored on Hernandez’ grounder to short, which was booted.
Gamely, Sylvan Hills matched the six-run frame in the home third, getting within 9-7.
Four scored in Bryant’s fourth starting with Daves’ inside-the-park home run. With one down, Carter and Thompson belted base hits. And when Andrews reached on an error, Carter scrambled home. A single from Taylor chased in Thompson to make it 12-7.
After Duncan grounded into a force at third, Colt Martin capped the inning with an RBI double.
The second six-run outburst from Sylvan Hills came in the home fourth, tying the game at 13. But Bryant answered with its second six-run eruption in the top of the fifth. Chalmers’ double to left ignited the rally. He took third on an error and scored when Dawson Martin’s bouncer to short was kicked.
Hernandez legged out an infield single and when a late throw sailed, he took second. Another boot by Sylvan Hills allowed Daves to reach as two runs scored, making it 16-13.
Daves wound up on third when the play was over. He crossed the plate moments later when Trimble stroked a single to left.
Clark bounced into a force at second but he swiped a base and advanced to third on a knock by Thompson. Though Clark was thrown out trying to score on Andrews’ grounder to short, Taylor drove in a run with an infield hit and so did Duncan, making it 19-13.
Despite a single and an error in the bottom of the fifth, Sylvan Hills was unable to trim the margin so when Bryant scored in the top of the sixth, the game was out of reach.
