Photos courtesy of Crissy McEntire
By Madison McEntire
HAMBURG — Logan Grant needed just 50 pitches to shut out Little Rock Junior Deputy thru six innings and then Bryant survived a frantic last-inning Little Rock rally to hold on for an 8-5 win in the 2014 Babe Ruth State Tournament on Sunday, July 13
Bryant will take on Hamburg in the winners’ bracket final at 3 p.m. today.
Team members are Logan Grant, Cade Dupree, Jacob Coppock, Logan Chambers, Logan Catton, Will McEntire, Jacob Shepard, Ryan Lessenberry, Brock Bariola, Coby Greiner, Sawyer Holt, and Hunter Mullings. They are managed by Michael Catton with help from Phillip Dupree and Madison McEntire.
In the top of the first, Grant needed just seven pitches to get three outs. His second pitch was grounded hard to Catton at second who knocked it down but was unable to make the play. After a 5-4 force out, Coppock gunned down the runner trying to steal and then a fly to Holt in right ended the inning.
Bryant struck for two runs in its first time at bat. After Coppock struck out, Shepard walked and stole second. Chambers then slapped a double down the left field line but Shepard was out at the plate on a nice relay that went 7-5-2. Grant came through with a big two-out hit when he doubled deep over the left fielder’s head to score Chambers. Dupree stepped in the box and slammed a line drive to right to score Grant. Greiner bounced out to third to end the first but Bryant led 2-0.
Grant posted a 1-2-3 inning in the second, getting a pop to Catton at second, followed by a soft liner and a grounder to Greiner at third.
Mullings flied to center to start the second but Holt lined a single to center and Catton dropped a base hit into left to put two on. Coppock followed with a fly ball to center on a full-count pitch and Shepard lined out to center to end the threat.
Little Rock went quickly in the top of the third. After a five-pitch strikeout, with Coppock throwing to first to retire the batter, Grant’s next two pitches resulted in a ground out to Greiner at third and a fly to Mullings in left.
Chambers led off the Bryant half of the third with a single up the middle and advanced to third on two wild pitches as Grant went down swinging. Dupree then hooked a ball that went over the bag at third to score Chambers. Dupree was caught stealing for the second out when Greiner missed the hit-and-run sign. Greiner was safe at first on an error by the shortstop but Mullings popped out to the catcher for the third out. Bryant led 3-0.
In the fourth, Grant needed just five pitches to get Bryant back in the dugout. His first pitch was lined to Dupree at first. He then allowed a grounder down the line in left for a double but picked the runner off second. He was tagged out near third by Greiner. The next pitch was bounced to Chambers at short for the third out.
Bryant added a run in the bottom of the fourth but left the bases loaded. Holt led off and was hit by a pitch. Catton moved him to second with a sac bunt to third and Holt moved to third on Coppock’s ground out to the pitcher. Shepard was hit by a pitch then Chambers and Grant walked, with Grant’s walk bringing home Holt. Little Rock changed pitchers and the new hurler coaxed Dupree into hitting a grounder back to the mound for the third out.
After two pitches in the top of the fifth, Grant had two outs on a foul pop to Dupree at first and a soft liner to Catton at second. A four-pitch strikeout sent the game into the bottom of fifth with Bryant leading 4-0.
McEntire hit for Greiner to start the bottom of the fifth and flied to center. Mullings popped to short for the second out before Holt singled on a fly that dropped safely into right field. On the next pitch, Catton lined hard right at third baseman for the final out.
In the sixth, Grant faced just three Little Rock batters for the sixth consecutive inning. He sandwiched his second and third strikeouts around high-chopper that Dupree took to the first base bag for the out.
Bryant picked up what turned out to be four very important insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Coppock started the rally with soft single into right. With Shepard up, he stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Shepard walked, stole second and went to third on Chambers’ third hit of the game, a grounder to center that scored Coppock. After Chambers stole second, Grant walked to load the bases.
Little Rock changed pitchers but the new pitcher had trouble finding the plate and walked Dupree to force in a run. Greiner then bounced a ground ball to the third baseman who fired to the plate to force out Chambers. Mullings bounced back to the mound where the pitcher threw to the plate to force out Grant, but Grant slid hard into the catcher, forcing a wild throw as he tried to double up Mullings at first. That throw went by the first baseman and into right field, allowing both Dupree and Greiner to score and Mullings to advance all the way to third. Bariola hit for Holt and walked to put runners on the corners. Lessenberry then batted for Catton and fanned to end the inning.
Heading into the final inning, Bryant’s lead was a comfortable 8-0. Greiner took over on the mound and hit the first batter. The next batter singled to left and the ball was misplayed by Mullings which allowed the runners to reach third and second. Little Rock’s three-hole hitter then ripped a triple over Bariola in right to plate their first two runs of the game. The Little Rock cleanup hitter lofted a long fly to left-center where Mullings and Coppock miscommunicated and the ball went off Mullings’ glove and the runner on third trotted home to make the score 8-3 as the batter took second.
Greiner then got two outs on a foul pop to Grant at third and a ground ball to Chambers which moved the runner to third. Little Rock’s next batter was down to their final strike but ended up drawing a nine-pitch walk to put runners at the corners.
Greiner was also ahead of the next batter but a single to left on a 1-2 pitch made the score 8-4. Little Rock’s nine-hole hitter then slapped the first pitch to left to load the bases. A wild pitch plated another run before Greiner induced a pop fly to Shepard at second who squeezed it with two hands to end Little Rock’s rally and allow Bryant to escape with 8-5 win.
