The Bryant 12-and-under All-Stars finished off a sweep through the 2019 Babe Ruth State Tournament with an 11-1 win over the El Dorado-Union County All-Stars on Monday night at Bishop Park.
Bryant had reached the title game with an 11-1 win over Benton after an 8-2 victory over the Little Rock Junior Deputy All-Stars and a 14-3 victory over Beebe.
The 12’s, coached by Paul Speer, include J.T. Allen, Luke Andrews, Gavyn Benson, Eli Berry, Cohen Chalmers, Blaine Duer, Kolby Duncan, Avery Heidelberg, Dante Hernandez, Landon Jackson, E.J. Keith, Colt Martin, Braxton Speer, Aiden Stout, Hudson Thomason.
The team advances to Regional play in Siloam Springs starting July 10.
Bryant 11, El Dorado-Union County 1
Benson shut out El Dorado over the first four innings as Bryant built a 9-0 lead. He wound up allowing one run on two hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
Bryant took advantage of six walks, three hit batsmen and two El Dorado errors with six hits. Allen and Keith each drove in two runs.
Bryant took a 1-0 lead in the first. Speer drew a lead-off walk and, with one out, Thomason was hit by a pitch. By then, Speer had stolen his way to third, so he scored on Benson’s grounder to short.
In the third, Stout walked, and Jackson was plunked by a 2-2 delivery. Heidelberg sacrificed them to second and third then Allen came through with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. Jackson scored on a wild pitch before Speer doubled to make it 3-0.
The game-breaking fourth began with a walk to Benson. With one out, Stout singled. Hernandez pinch-ran for Stout and stole second. An errant throw allowed Benson to score before Jackson’s fly to center was dropped. Heidelberg drew a free pass to load the bases and Allen was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run. Speer picked up an RBI with a groundout then Keith ripped a triple to plate two. Thomason’s infield hit drove home Keith and it was 9-0.
A solo homer got El Dorado on the board in the top of the fifth. Despite a pair of errors, Benson pitched out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
Bryant then made it a run-rule win in the bottom of the fifth with the final run scoring on a balk. Heidelberg had tripled to drive home Stout with the 10th run then scored on the balk.
Bryant 11, Benton 1
After Benton took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Bryant scored five runs in both the first and second innings to blow the game up.
Speer pitched all four innings, allowing an unearned run on three hits with a walk and six strikeouts.
He also had two hits as did Keith.
Benton used a single, a walk and an error to score its run in the first. In the home half, Jackson led off and was hit by a 2-1 pitch. A pair of wild pitches allowed him to reach third as Heidelberg walked. He stole second and, with one out, Speer’s pop-up was dropped on the infield. Jackson hustled home with the tying run.
Keith doubled in two and, after Thomason walked, stole third. He scored when the throw got through the third baseman and, later, Thomason followed on a wild pitch, making it 5-1.
After Speer pitched around another error in the top of the second, Jackson started the second five-run outburst with a free pass. He stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. After Allen walked with one out, Speer delivered a two-run single. Keith drew a walk then he and Speer worked a double steal. Thomason plated both with a single to greet a new Benton pitcher.
Thomason stole his way to third then stole home to cap off the inning.
It stayed 10-1 until the bottom of the fourth when Bryant made it a run-rule win. Speer and Keith singled, Martin walked, and a wild pitch allowed the run to score.
Bryant 8, Junior Deputy 2
Heidelberg and Berry combined to limit Junior Deputy to three hits. Bryant built a 4-0 lead before the Little Rock team pushed across two runs in the bottom of the third. Berry relieved to get out of that inning then shut them out the rest of the way.
Bryant tacked on three in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth.
Bryant scored a run in the top of the first with Allen leading off with a single, stealing second then scoring from there on a wild pitch.
In the second, Thomason singled to right with one away. An errant pickoff throw got him to second, Benson’s groundout pushed him to third and he scored on a passed ball.
The third started with a walk to Duncan. He stole second then Jackson singled to left. After Jackson stole second, Duncan scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0. With two down, Jackson scored on a wild pitch as well.
A hit batter, a walk and an error on a sacrifice attempt produced Junior Deputy’s first run. Another walk and a single made it 4-2 before Berry ended the uprising with a strikeout.
Bryant’s fifth-inning runs came after two were out. Jackson was plunked, and Heidelberg walked. After a double steal, Allen drilled a double to left to bring both home. He stole third and scored on Speer’s single to make it 7-2.
Berry worked around a pair of walks in the bottom of the fifth and, in the sixth, Benson singled, stole second, took third on an errant throw and scored on Berry’s squeeze bunt.
Junior Deputy managed a two-out single and another runner on a third-strike wild pitch but a grounder to Speer at third resulted in a game-ending force.
Bryant 14, Beebe 3
A 10-run second set Bryant on its way to the lopsided victory in the tournament opener on Friday. Berry and Jackson had two hits. Berry drove in three with Jackson, Allen, Speer and Keith knocking in a pair apiece.
Thomason shut out Beebe on one hit over the first two innings. Five of the six outs recorded came on strikeouts. Chalmers finished up, blanking Beebe in the third before surrendering their three runs in the top of the fourth.
Bryant took a 3-0 lead in the opening frame. Heidelberg’s one-out double to left opened the door. Allen singled him home and advanced to second on a late throw to the plate. He scored on Speer’s double to center. Speer wound up scoring on a wild pitch.
Heidelberg surrendered a lead-off single in the top of the second but then struck out the side, setting up Bryant’s eruption in the home half.
Singles by Benson and Berry set up the inning. Jackson’s base hit drove in a run and, after Heidelberg walked to load the bases, Allen drew a free pass for an RBI. Speer bounced out as Jackson scored then Keith singled in two to make it 8-0.
Thomason and Stout were hit by pitches as Speer scored on a passed ball. Berry then cleared the bases with a triple to make it 12-0. Jackson’s bloop single to center got Berry home.
To cap off the scoring for Bryant, Martin walked and Hernandez’ pop was dropped but Beebe recovered in time to get a force at second. Chalmers drilled one to center that was misplayed allowing Hernandez to score from first.
Beebe used five singles to score its three runs in the top of the fourth before Chalmers settled in to get the final out on strikes.
