BENTON — Though they forced a winner-take-all final after battling back out of the loser’s bracket, the Bryant 10-year-old All-Stars couldn’t manage a second victory over the host Benton team on Monday night. Benton prevailed 8-3.
Both teams advance to the State tourney which will be at Lake Village starting July 10. Regionals will be at Abbeville, La., beginning July 30.
Bryant had forced the finale with a 19-0 romp over Benton earlier in the evening. The team had opened the tournament with a 19-0 win over Hot Springs Village on Friday, setting up a second-round match with Benton on Saturday that Benton won 10-0. Bryant came back on Sunday to eliminate Hot Springs Village 21-0, setting up the return engagement with Benton on Monday.
Bryant’s 10-year-olds, coached by Jerry East, include Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Zach Chambers, Austin Despain, Jake East, Kade Endl, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Samuel McFarland, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender and Diego Vargas.[more]
Prior to the District tournament, the Bryant 10’s swept three games to win a Father’s Day tourney at Sherwood. They opened with an 11-10 win over Little Rock Junior Deputy, whipped Marion 13-0 then prevailed over Cabot 5-2 to set up the championship contest with Junior Deputy, which they won 9-0.
Benton 8, Bryant 3
Benton took a 1-0 lead in the second then added three runs in the third before, in the bottom of the third, Bryant got on the board and cut the lead in half.
Consecutive doubles by Endl, Allen and East produced the two runs. Hurt drew a walk but a doubleplay got Benton out of the jam.
Hurt, on in relief of East the Bryant starter, held Benton in the top of the fourth, working around a pair of walks. In the bottom of the inning, Bryant whittled another run off the advantage, making it a 4-3 game. Knowles doubled and Orender singled, taking second when a throw to the plate held Knowles. An out later, Despain came through with a sacrifice fly.
In the fifth, however, Benton took put together three hits to go with a Bryant error and pushed the lead to 6-3. A two-run homer in the sixth plus another run made it 8-3.
Bryant managed only a one-out walk to East in the fifth as Benton closed out the win.
Bryant 19, Benton 0
That game was set up by the Bryant victory earlier in the evening in which Misenheimer pitched a one-hit shutout. He struck out five and worked around a walk and a pair of errors.
Bryant got all the runs they’d need in the first, scoring seven times. Allen started the outburst with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. East drew a walk and, with one out, Misenheimer reached on an error. Knowles followed with a grounder to third that was misplayed then Orender cleared the bases with a triple. He scored on a single up the middle by Kelly to make it 5-0.
With two out, Endl doubled. Singles by Allen and East capped the inning off.
In the second, Misenheimer and Knowles singled before Orender reached on an error. Kelly bounced into a force out then was out trying to steal. But Chambers got things going again with a single. Endl added a base hit then Allen reached on an error. A walk to East was followed by Hurt’s double which made it 12-0.
Bryant took advantage of five walks in the third to score four more times. In the fourth, McFarland doubled and scored when Orender’s shot to right was misplayed. Kelly singled and, after Despain drew a walk, both moved up on a passed ball and Kelly scored the final run on a groundout by Allen.
Bryant 21, Hot Springs Village 0
Orender pitched a one-hit shutout, striking out four and walking just one. The lone Hot Springs Village hit was a single with one out in the third inning of the four-frame game.
A 17-run third blew the game up.
Bryant had taken a 1-0 lead in the first on hits by East and Hurt and a groundout by Misenheimer.
The third inning includedfive errors, two walks and three hit batsmen along with 10 hits. The big blows were consecutive triples by Orender, Allen and East. Misenheimer and Allen each had two hits in the inning.
In the fourth, Bryant scored three more runs after two were out and finall the coaches instructed a batter to strike out to end it. Brown, Allen and East had hits in the inning.
Benton 10, Bryant 0
A 1-0 game through three innings, Benton scored four times in the fourth and added five more in the fifth to notch the victory.
Bryant was held hitless in the game. The only baserunners came on walks to East and Misenheimer in the first and another to Kelly in the second.
Bryant 19, Hot Springs Village 0
Orender pitched a four-hit shutout in the opener and Bryant built a 7-0 lead in the first, added four in the second and eight in the fourth.
In the opening salvo, the first three Bryant batters drew walks but one was thrown out at second. A three-base error, however, plated the first two runs as Misenheimer reached base. Kelly singled him in then stole second ahead of base hits from Knowles and Chambers. Endl doubled and scored on a single by Vargas to make it 7-0.
In the second, East and Orender drew walks. Misenheimer singled and, after Kelly was hit by a pitch, a run scored on Chambers’ bouncer to second before Endl’s single made it 11-0.
In the fourth, Chambers singled and scored on a triple to right-center by McFarland. Brown singled and, after Allen reached on an error, Hurt drove one up the middle. Ordender and Misenheimer cracked doubles then base hits by Knowles and Chambers completed the scoring.
At Sherwood
Bryant 9, LR Junior Deputy 0
East pitched four shutout innings with Hurt adding a scoreless fifth in the championship game of the Father’s Day tourney.
Bryant broke up a scoreless game in the third. Allen singled and scored when East drilled a triple to right-center. Hurt walked and stole second then both scored on Misenheimer’s two-bagger to center.
Bryant blew the game up with six runs in the fourth. Allen, Misenheimer and Orender each had singles to help take advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batsman. McFarland drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Despain’s double got the final run home.
Bryant 5, Cabot 1
Bryant took a 1-0 lead in the opening inning when Allen singled, advanced to second then third on passed balls and scored when Hurt’s grounder to short was booted.
Cabot tied it in the second on a pair of singles and a passed ball. But that would be all it would get as Misenheimer pitched through the fourth and East finished with two shutout innings of relief.
Bryant snapped the tie in the third. With two down, Hurt beat out an infield hit, Misenheimer doubled and Orender drove in the run with a base hit.
An error allowing Chambers to reach with one out in the fourth started a two-run uprising. Brown’s triple to left got Chambers home then Vargas singled him in.
In the top of the sixth, Endl walked, took second on a passed ball, third on a grounder to first by Chambers then scored on a passed ball.
Cabot managed a one-out single in the fifth and got him to third only to have East strike out the next two batters. A one-out single in the sixth was erased by a force and East ended it with a strikeout.
Bryant 13, Marion 0
In a three-inning game, Marion managed just two hits off East who walked two and struck out six.
Bryant took advantage of five walks in the first to score the maximum six runs. East had an infield hit and Knowles singled along the way.
In the second, Chambers reachedo n an error, advanced on a passed ball, took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.
Allen and East singled to start the third. Hurt’s triple to right-center chased them home. He scored on a single by Misenheimer and, after Knowles walked, Orender made it a max inning with a home run to right.
Bryant 11, LR Junior Deputy 10
Bryant held an 11-5 lead going into the bottom of the sixth. Junior Deputy rallied to within a run and got the potential tying run to second with nobody out. But defense saved the game. On a roller to third, Misenheimer whipped a throw to East, covering the third base bag to get the first out as the batter reached first on the fielder’s choice. Orender, on in relief of Knowles, got the next batter to bounce back to the mound for a dramatic 1-6-3 game-ending doubleplay.
Little Rock had taken a 2-0 lead in the first. Bryant tied it in the second when Orender walked, Kelly singled and, after a double steal, both scored on a base hit by Endl.
In the third, Bryant took the lead with a four-run outburst. Brown singled then Vargas and Allen walked to set the table. With one out, Hurt’s grounder to short was misplayed and two runs scored. With runners at second and third, Knowles came through with a two-out single to send them home.
The margin grew to 7-2 in the top of the fourth when, Chambers reached on an error, Endl singled and, after McFarland grounded into a force at second, Chambers scored when Despain’s grounder to booted.
Junior Deputy started its comeback in the bottom of the inning, pushing three runs home to cut the lead to 7-5.
In the top of the fifth, however, the Bryant Stars got four runs that each proved crucial. Allen reached on an error then East beat out an infield hit. Hurt singled and, with one out, Knowles drew a walk to force in a run. Another scored when Orender bounced into a force at third that retired Hurt. Kelly’s single to right brought home two.
Little Rock’s rally was aided by four Bryant errors and a hit batsman. The only clean hit of the inning was a double.
