By Madison McEntire
A team of Bryant 10-year-olds lost a hard-fought 3-2 decision in the semifinals of the[more] 10-and-Under Open Division of the 2011 Wally Hall Tournament of Champions at Bryant’s Bishop Park on Sunday.
The team consists of Logan Catton, Logan Chambers, Logan Grant, Cade Dupree, Nathan McFarland, Coby Greiner, Will McEntire, Ryan Lessenberry, Jake Cowell, Garett Nguyen, Hunter Mullings, Sawyer Holt, and Chandler Taylor.
Facing the Springdale Wild Dawgs, Bryant kept the game scoreless in the first when Chambers snagged a deep pop up behind his shortstop position and fired a strike to Lessenberry at the plate for an inning-ending double play.
Bryant jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Catton walked with one out, stole second and scored on Grant’s double to left. One batter later, Grant scored on a double to left by Chambers.
Springdale chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth to tie the game 2-2 heading into the bottom of the final inning. Springdale’s leadoff batter reached on a triple down the right field line and then the next two were walked intentionally to load the bases. The next batter hit a long fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly to give Bryant a tough 3-2 loss.
Earlier in the first day in bracket play, Bryant had defeated the Warhawks from Louisiana by a 9-4 score. The Warhawks took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but Bryant quickly tied it in the bottom of the first. Catton struck out but reached when the catcher let the ball get by him. He stole second and came around to score on a couple of wild pitches as Grant coaxed a walk. A double by Chambers later scored Grant.
In the second, the Warhawks took a 3-2 lead when they got a rule-book double on a ball that bounced over the left-field fence followed by an infield single and a single to right.
Bryant took a 5-3 lead with three runs in the bottom of the second. Dupree reached on an error and Mullings walked. Following a wild pitch, Greiner’s sac bunt scored Dupree and moved Mullings to third. Another wild pitch scored Mullings. Catton plated the final run as he walked, stole second, went to third on a throwing error by the catcher then scored on a wild pitch.
The Warhawks cut into the lead in the top of the third with a long homer to dead center but Bryant still led 5-4.
Bryant increased the lead to 7-4 in the third. Lessenberry singled, took second and scored on a double to deep right-center by Dupree. McEntire batted for Greiner and delivered a two-out single to left which scored Dupree.
Bryant tacked on two more in the fourth. Catton walked again, stole second, took third on Grant’s single to third and scored on a grounder to first by Chambers. Grant scored on Lessenberry’s fly ball to left to make it 9-4 and that was the final when time expired with Dupree at the plate.
