SEMINOLE, Texas — All the scoring came in one inning on Saturday at the Cal Ripken 10U Southwest Regional Tournament winners’ bracket final between the Bryant All-Stars and the Meridian, Miss., All-Stars.
Unfortunately, Meridian got five in the top of the fourth and Bryant only got one in the bottom of the inning.
Meridian advanced to the championship round, while Bryant plays in the losers’ bracket final on Sunday against either Seminole or Andrews, Texas. If Bryant wins, they’ll turn around and take on Meridian again with a chance to force a winner-take-all final.
The 10’s, coached by Greg Riggs, include Blake Brower, Cannon Chalmers, Carson Dozier, Jackson Duran, Jake Elliott, Drake Fikes, Gunner Frazier, Austin Hastings, Cooper Hatman, Hunter Markham, Paxton Pringle, Jaxon Riggs, Drew Tate-Lee and Jackson Trusty.
Hatman shut out Meridian through the first three innings then ran into trouble in the fourth, surrendering two of the runs. Hastings relieved and Meridian scored three more unearned runs before he could work out of the jam. He pitched into the seventh when he got relief help from Frazier.
Bryant managed a two-out single by Elliott in the bottom of the first. After retiring Meridian in order in the first, Hatman worked around a two-out hit in the top of the second.
Tate-Lee drew a two-out walk in the home second, but Meridian limited it to that. And, despite a two-out single and an error that had runners at second and third, Hatman kept them off the board by ending the inning with a strikeout.
Riggs walked and Markham doubled with two out in the bottom of the third, but a strikeout ended that threat.
A single and a walk started Meridian’s fourth. A grounder that led to a force at second produced the first out. A bunt single, however, plated the game’s first run then a flyball to the outfield was misplayed and a second run scored.
Hastings got the second out on strikes but a two-run single followed then a double made it 5-0.
In Bryant’s fourth, the first two were retired before Hastings beat out an infield hit, and Tate-Lee drew a walk, Dozier lined an RBI single to left but a grounder into a force at second ended the rally.
Meridian managed a two-out single in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning, Markham singled with two away. Walks to Elliott and Brower loaded the bases but Bryant just could not get the clutch hit and Meridian escaped.
In the sixth, Hastings drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and got no further as Meridian closed out the victory.
