CORDOVA, Tenn. — Playing against the respective National champions from each of the youth baseball[more] associations in the country figured to be a challenge for the Bryant 12-year-old All-Stars, particularly since they’ve been idle since falling just short of winning the Southwest Regional Tournament and earning a shot at the Cal Ripken World Series.
Friday afternoon turned out to be particularly challenging as the representative of the AABC from San Diego, Calif., racked up a 13-0 win in four innings over the Bryant team in its second game in pool play at the National Youth Baseball Championships.
Bryant received a last-minute invitation to represent the 12-and-under teams in the Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth organization.
Members of the Bryant 12’s include Logan Allen, Beaux Bonvillian, Drew Brown, Cameron Coleman, Jake East, Jeffery Hastings, Dylan Hurt, D.J. McKinney, Austin Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Preston Kyzer, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Matthew Sandidge and Scott Schmidt. Manager Darren Hurt is assisted by Rick Brown and Randy Kelly.
The team wraps up pool play on Saturday morning at 9 in a live broadcast on the MLB Network against the USSSA representative Lynn Haven, Fla.
Many of the teams in the USSA, the AABC, and other organizations represented (AAU, PONY, NABF, Dixie and Super Series) are made up of hand-picked players from a particular region, known as travel teams. All of Bryant’s players come from the Bryant Athletic Association league.
San Diego racked up 19 hits in this afternoon’s victory while holding Bryant to just four, one each by East, Kelly, Misenheimer and Hurt. All four came in the fourth inning when Bryant loaded the bases but couldn’t break up the shutout.
The California team scored four times in the first, six times in the third then added three more in the fourth.
