There was a clear differential among the four teams at the 2018 Arkansas 12-and-under Little League State Tournament at Bishop Park on Friday. In the first game, White Hall buried Bismarck 17-2. In the second, Bryant’s All-Stars overwhelmed Cabot 22-0.
Each game lasted three innings.
On Saturday, White Hall and Bryant meet at 4 p.m. Bismarck and Cabot play an elimination game at 6.
The Bryant team, managed by Michael Catton, includes JT Allen, Garrison Blacklaw, Reid Catton, Clay Crawford, Avery Heidelberg, Luis Hernandez, Gavin Hill, Landon Jackson, EJ Keith, Justen Myles, Braxton Speer, Aiden Stoutand Hudson Thomason
Speer had three hits while Blacklaw and Allen added two as Bryant took advantage of 12 walks, three Cabot errors and two hit batsmen.
A 12-run second broke open a 3-0 game. Cabot managed just one hit in the contest against a trio of Bryant pitchers, Speer, Heidelberg and Stout, as each were used for less than 20 pitches, under the limit for returning the next day.
Allen walked to start the game then took second on a wild pitch. With one out, Blacklaw lashed a single to left to bring him in. Speer then stroked a base hit to left that was misplayed allowing Blacklaw to score. Speer wound up on third.
Jackson came in as a courtesy runner for the pitcher and he scored on a two-out single by Crawford to make it 3-0.
Cabot’s Willie May singled to start the bottom of the first. It proved to be their lone hit of the contest. May was thrown out from right field by Stout as he tried to stretch the hit to a double.
Avery Singleton reached on an error, but Speer got Logun Smith to ground to second and Gavin Langford to tap to short.
Bryant game-breaking second started with a Stout. Thomason beat out a bunt single. Jackson, running for Stout, scored on a passed ball as Allen drew a free pass.
Catton walked to load the bases for Blacklaw who lifted a single into left that made it 5-0. Speer’s single plated Allen and, with the bags full, Jackson walked to force in a run.
Hill was hit by a pitch and picked up an RBI. Heidelberg walked to force in Speer, making it 9-0. A free pass to Hernandez continued the scoring. Allen then doubled to make it 12-0.
Catton came through with a sacrifice fly then a run scored when Blacklaw reached on an error by the shorstop. Speer singled again, driving in Blacklaw, making it 15-0.
There were four more walks in the top of the third. Heidelberg singled and Allen knocked in a run with a base hit. Catton singled to load the bases and Blacklaw singled in a run.
Three runs were walked in on passes to Speer, Myles and Crawford. Keith’s base hit to right made it 21-0 then Stout capped off the onslaught with a final RBI single.
