McGEHEE — The Bryant 12-year-old Cal Ripken All-Stars kept their hopes for a State championship alive by ousting their rivals from Benton from the State tournament on Saturday evening.
An eight-run second inning highlighted by a grand slam off the bat of Trey Breeding spurred Bryant to a 14-1 victory in four innings as they advanced to play another elimination game on Sunday at 11:45 a.m., against either Dewitt or Monticello.
The Bryant 12-year-olds, who play on the diamond with 46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot basepaths, coached by Sam Breeding, include Sebastian Arias, Dakota Besancon, Trey Breeding, Brandon Carter, Destin Davis, Tre Devis, Austin Green, Clifton Hampton, Andrew Kincaid, Blaine Knight, Hunter Lawhon and Jimbo Seale.[more]
The hitting that the Bryant Stars did at the end of their game earlier in the day when they lost to El Dorado, 11-9, continued at the start of the Benton game.
After Kincaid, who finished the earlier game, got through the top of the first with the help of a doubleplay, Bryant scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Green reached on an error, Breeding singled and, after both moved up a base on Seale’s grounder to first, Kincaid drilled a double to right-center to chase them both home. On the very next pitch, Carter doubled to bring Kincaid around with the third run.
Kincaid struck out the side around a two-out walk in the top of the second leading to Bryant’s game-breaking uprising in the home half. Davis opened the inning by reached on an error. Lawhon walked and Green reached on an error to load the bases for Breeding who launched the very next pitch over the fence in center to make it 7-0.
With one out, Kincaid singled to center, advanced on a wild pitch, took third on Carter’s groundout and scored when Knight’s grounder to third was misplayed. Besancon was hit by a pitch and when Destin Davis’ grounder to short was misplayed, Knight scored. With runners at second and third, Lawhon singled both home to make it 11-0.
Benton got its run in the top of the third. Adrian Hunning singled to center for his team’s lone hit of the game. He took second on a passed ball but, after Justin Salazar walked, he was forced at third on a grounder by Ian Allred. A passed ball allowed Salazar to take third as Hampton, on in place of Kincaid on the mound, struck out Alex Vogelpohl. He scored on a passed ball as Seth Hardwick walked. But Hampton got Noah Griffin to pop to third, ending the inning.
Bryant answered with a three-run third that started with a solo homer by Seale to deep left-center. Kincaid followed with a single, Carter walked but was thrown out trying to go to second. Tre Davis singled in Kincaid then scored all the way from first on a double by Besancon to cap off the scoring.
Breeding relieved in the fourth and worked around a two-out error to close it out. He fanned two.
Adrian Huning
Please pray for the family of Alex vogelphol as he has passed away he was a member of this Benton all star team