BENTON — The Bryant 14-year-old All-Stars advanced to the semifinals of the Babe Ruth State[more] Tournament at Bernard Holland Park by pounding out another lopsided win on Sunday. This time, the Hamburg All-Stars absorbed the beat down, 18-0.
In three games now, Bryant has outscored its opponents 45-1.
The Stars are set to take on Pine Bluff in the semifinals Monday at 2 p.m.
The Bryant 14-and-under team is managed by Jerry East. The players are Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Cameron Coleman, Jake East, Lawson Fincher, Jeffrey Hastings, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Preston Kyzer, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Kyle Sahr, Alex Shurtleff and Diego Vargas.
East combined with Misenheimer and Fincher on the three-hit shutout. Each allowed a hit. In three innings, East struck out three, each to end a frame. The lone hit he allowed was a single to lead-off the third.
Misenheimer fanned two before giving up a bloop hit to right. In the fifth, Fincher issued a walk and gave up a one-out single. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up to second and third the game ended on a pop to the mound.
Offensively, Bryant took advantage of 10 walks and two hit batsmen with 12 hits including three each from Shurtleff and Misenheimer and two for Coleman. Misenheimer came up a homer short of a cycle.
Bryant actually didn’t have a hit in a three-run first. East reached on an error then walks were issued to Shurtleff and Misenheimer. When Hurt and Kelly were struck by pitches, each forced in a run. A walk to Coleman made it 3-0.
Hamburg managed its first base-runner in the top of the second. He reached on a Bryant error but, moments later, he was thrown out trying to steal by Hurt.
Bryant’s second produced a four-run uprising. East singled and stole second then Orender walked. Shurtleff’s single loaded the bases and Misenheimer cleared them with a drive to the fence in center for a triple. Hurt singled him in to make it 7-0.
After the opening single in the top of the third, East retired the next batter on a fly to Coleman in left. Bryant got a force when the next batter bunted. A two-out walk followed but then East ended it with a strikeout.
Hastings walked to start Bryant’s third, East and Orender drew free passes to set the table for Shurtleff who cracked a two-out double to left-center. Misenheimer singled him to third then stole second. Errant pitches allowed each to score, making it 12-0.
Walks to Vargas and Fincher started Bryant’s fourth. With one out, Vargas, who stole third, scored on a passed ball. Shurtleff singled in Fincher and, after he moved to second on a passed ball, he scored on Misenheimer’s double. Hurt singled and Sahr cracked a two-run double.
When Coleman singled in Sahr, it was 18-0.
