BENTON — The Bryant 11-year-old All-Stars rallied for three runs in the top of the fifth to overcome a 5-4 deficit and, with solid relief work by Hayden Knowles, made it hold up for a 7-5 win over the Benton All-Stars.
With the win, Bryant advances to the championship round on Monday at 6 p.m., at Bernard Holland Park. The survivor of the losers bracket will have to beat them twice to deny the Bryant Stars the District title.
The Bryant 11’s include Landon Abernathy, Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Jake East, Jeffery Hastings, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelley, Hayden Knowles, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Landon Smith and Diego Vargas. Jerry East is the manager of the 11-year-old team with assistance from Rick Brown and Rusty Misenheimer.[more]
The tale-tell fifth-inning rally began with a single to center by Allen who stole second and third. Hurt walked and Vargas came in as a courtesy runner. After Vargas swiped second, Misenheimer bashed a double to drive them both home, making it 6-5. Orender’s grounder to the right side allowed Misenheimer to take third and he scored on a groundout by Knowles.
On in relief, Knowles issued a lead-off walk in the bottom of the fifth but the next batter bounced into a force. The remaining baserunner was then caught trying to steal for the second out and, after a walk, a fly to left ended the inning.
In the sixth, Bryant loaded the bases on a single by East, an infield hit by Allen and a walk to Hurt but couldn’t add to the advantage.
The home half of the inning began with a walk but Knowles got the next two batters to tap back to him. A fly to left ended the game, stranding a runner at third.
Bryant built an early lead. In the opening stanza, East singled and stole second. He moved to third on Allen’s tap to the mound then scored when Hurt cracked a double.
Walks to Misenheimer and Orender loaded the bases but Hurt was caught trying to score on a passed ball for the second out. Knowles then came through with a clutch two-run single to make it 3-0.
After Hurt, the Bryant starter on the mound, worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, they tacked on a run in the top of the second. With two out, East worked a walk and stole his way to third. Allen singled him in to make it 4-0.
Benton pushed three runs home in the bottom of the inning however.
Misenheimer singled with one out in the top of the third and Abernathy, in as a courtesy runner, stole second. He moved to third on Orender’s groundout but was stranded.
Benton took advantage of a pair of walks with a pair of hits in the bottom of the inning to produce its 5-4 lead before East came on to get out of the inning, forcing Benton to leave runners at first and second.
Bryant threatened again in the fourth when Kelly singled and stole second then went to third on a base hit by Smith who, in turn, swiped second to put runners at second and third. But when Brown flew out to right, Smith couldn’t get back to second in time and a doubleplay resulted. And when East bounced out to short, Kelly was stranded at third.
East worked a 1-2-3 fourth to set up Bryant’s fifth-inning rally.
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