EL DORADO — Austin Kelly smacked a three-run homer to highlight a five-run first sparking the Bryant[more] 13-year-old All-Stars to a 10-3 win over the Forrest City All-Stars Friday to open the Babe Ruth State Tournament.
Kelly wound up driving in four runs while Dylan Hurt and Garrett Misenheimer contributed two runs each.
Alex Shurtleff picked up the win on the mound with two innings of no-hit relief from Misenheimer. Shurtleff allowed three runs on five hits while walking four and striking out six in five innings. Three of the six outs Misenheimer recorded were on strikes.
Bryant is scheduled to play again on Saturday at 11 a.m.
The team is managed by Jerry East with assistance from Rick Brown and Randy Kelly. The team includes Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Cameron Coleman, Jake East, Jeffery Hastings, Hurt, Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Kyle Sahr, Shurtleff, Diego Vargas.
Shurtleff needed just nine pitches to get through a 1-2-3 first. In the bottom of the inning, East singled and stole his way to third. Hurt walked and East scored. With one out, Misenhiemer walked and, on a 3-2 pitch, Kelly blasted his homer to center.
With two down, Orender and Allen each walked then worked a double steal to make it 5-0.
Forrest City managed a run in the top of the second on a hit and a two-out double. The Bryant Stars got the trail runner in a rundown and he was tagged out to retire the side but not until after the run has scored.
Bryant got the run back in the bottom of the inning when, with two down, Shurtleff plugged the gap in left-center for a double. He stole third and scored as Misenheimer singled.
Shurtleff issued a two-out walk in the top of the third but his catcher, Hurt, gunned the runner down when he tried to steal second. A lead-off walk in the fourth was erased the same way before Shurtleff struck out two to end the inning.
After Bryant was unable to add to its lead in the third, a two-run fourth ballooned the lead to 8-1. Hurt singled to start the inning. He stole second and, with one out, Misenheimer drew a free pass. The duo worked a double steal then Kelly drove in Hurt with a grounder to third. Walks to Hastings, Orender and Allen forced in the second run of the inning.
In the top of the fifth, a pair of walks and hit batsman loaded the bases for Forrest City. Shurtleff induced a tap back to the mound for a force at the plate. Then a grounder to first resulted in another force at home. But a two-out double drove in two, making it 8-3.
Bryant tacked on in the bottom of the fifth when Hurt doubled, Shurtleff walked then Misenheimer grounded into a force at second as Hurt scored.
Misenheimer walked the first batter he faced upon taking the mound in the top of the sixth but Bryant turned a 4-6-3 doubleplay. A hit batsman came to naught when Misenheimer ended the inning with a strikeout.
And Bryant added a run to break into double digits. Orender singled and stole his way to third. With one out, Coleman walked and when East hit an infield roller, Orender scored as he was thrown out at first.
Misenheimer eased through the top of the seventh, striking out the last two batters to seal the victory.
