SHERWOOD — The Bryant Athletic Association 6-year-old All-Stars won their first three games at the 6-and-under T-Ball State Tournament. The team opened with a 24-11 win over Cabot’s 6-year-old All-Stars then buried the Hamburg All-Stars, 17-2, to set up a game with Sylvan Hills Copeland, which Bryant won, 17-9.
The team is set to play in the winners bracket finals tonight at 6 p.m., against the rival Benton 6’s for a bid in the championship round on Tuesday. The loser of tonight’s 6 o’clock game turns around and plays again in the losers bracket final for a chance at the title round.
Players for Bryant’s 6’s include Cooper Andrews, Trey Atkins, Witt Brothers, Tanner Hogland, Cade Jackson, Griffin Lloyd, Cameron Martin, Cash McCrary, Hunter Robertson, Barrett Sory, Judah Summers and Landen Verdell. The team is coaches by Bill Lloyd with assistance from Jason Hogland, Jordan Verdell and Eric Andrews.
Bryant came into the tournament undefeated.
Bryant 24, Cabot 6’s 11
Bryant led from the start, scoring the maximum of six runs in the first inning after retiring Cabot without a scratch. Verdell, Robertson, Martin, Andrews, Lloyd and Jackson all cross the plate. Sory and Hogland got his to cap off the uprising.
Cabot managed a 5-run second to cut the lead to a run but Bryant countered in the bottom of the second as Summers, McCrary and Atkins came home.
Cabot was unable to muster any response in the top of the third and, in turn, Bryant just kept adding on. Verdell, Robertson and Martin each scored with Brothers nd Andrews contributing to the scoring.
That put Bryant in position to claim the win with a 12-5 lead but Cabot stayed alive by striking for six in the top of the fourth. But that was the last of Cabot’s scoring. Bryant scored in every inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Lloyd, Jackson, Sory, Summers and Atkins each dented the plate.
In the fifth, Bryant was held to just one run as Verdell came home but, after Cabot was unable to score in the top of the sixth, Bryant put it out of reach as Brothers, Lloyd, Jackson, Sory, Summers and McCrary scored.
Bryant 17, Hamburg 2
A six-run first again put the Bryant Stars in position to roll. Hamburg scored single runs in the second and one in the third.
Verdell, Brothers, Andrews, Lloyd, Jackson and Sory did the scoring for Bryant with Hogland completing the inning with an RBI hit.
In the second, McCrary added to the 6-1 lead. After Hamburg failed to score in the third, Brothers, Lloyd, Jackson and Hogland each scored in the third to make it 11-1.
Hamburg stayed alive with its second run but Bryant piled on six more in the home fourth as McCrary, Atkins, Verdell, Robertson, Martin and Brothers all scored.
Bryant 17, Sylvan Hills 9
Bryant scored in all but one inning in a seesaw battle. Bryant led 13-9 through four innings but the Stars held Sylvan Hills scoreless in the top of the fifth and scored four times in the home half to put it out of reach.
Sylvan Hills took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first but Bryant answered with four in the home half as Verdell, Robertson, Martin and Brothers scored. Jackson also got aboard in the inning.
Neither team scored in the second but, in the third, Sylvan Hills regained upper hand with three more to make it 6-4.
But that was the host team’s final lead as Bryant scored six in the bottom of the third. Atkins, Verdell, Robertson, Martin, Brothers and Lloyd came in.
Sylvan Hills gamely cut the margin to 10-9 in the top of the fourth but Bryant got those four back in the home half of the frame as Hogland, Summers and McCrary each scored.
The Stars then kept Sylvan Hills off the board in the top of the fifth. So when Martin, Brothers, Andrews and Lloyd each scored in the bottom of the inning, it was over.
