CABOT — The Bryant 6-year-old All-Stars made quick work of their first two opponents at the Panther Classic tournament at Cabot on Saturday.Bryant opened with a 15-2 victory over Jacksonville then eased past Pocahontas, 14-1.
The tournament continues on Sunday.
The Bryant 6 year olds, coached by Matt Orender with assistance from Patrick Schroeder and Jimmy Pennington, include Luke Bessire, Clay Curtis, Cooper Davis, Josh Day, Peyton Dillon, Gavin Glasgow, Austin Ledbetter, Jagger Littleton, Justin Orender, Brett Pennington, Austin Schroeder, and Blaine Sears.
They’re preparing for the State tournament, which begins on July 3 at Sherwood. Regionals begin July 23 at El Dorado.[more]
Bryant 15, Jacksonville 2
Bryant scored the maximum of six runs in each of the first two innings and, after Jacksonville got its first two in the top of the third, scored three in the bottom of the inning to put the game out of reach.
Jacksonville’s Noah Cain opened the game with a single but the next three batters were retired.
In the bottom of the inning, Schroeder and Pennington led off with singles then Ledbetter drilled a double and Glasper ripped a triple.
Orender singled in Glasper then Littleton doubled before Jacksonville managed to get the first out. A triple by Sears capped off the inning.
After Jacksonville failed to score in the top of the second, Bryant went back to work, sparked by a lead-off double by Bessire. Hits by Day and Dillon followed. With one out, Schroeder, Pennington, Ledbetter each singled. Glasper and Orender added base hits and, though Ledbetter was tagged out, Glasper scored the sixth run to make it 12-0.
Jacksonville’s two-run third included a double by Caleb Campbell but Bryant’s Stars trumped that in the bottom of the inning. Though Littleton was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double to start the inning, base hits by Curtis and Sears followed. With two down, Day singled then Dillon ended it with a triple.
Bryant 14, Pocahontas 1
Again Bryant scored the maximum of six runs in the first two frames to take control of the game and ended it with a pair of runs in the third, creating an insurmountable lead.
After Pocahontas managed one baserunner in the first, Bryant’s first outburst began with a one-out single by Pennington. Ledbetter followed suit ahead of doubles by Glasper and Orender. Littleton added a base hit but was tagged out before Curtis banged a two-bagger. Singles by Sears, Bessire and Day finished off the scoring.
Pocahontas stringed together a few hits to get on the board in the second but had two runners thrown out on the bases.
In turn, Dillon and Davis started the bottom of the inning with doubles. After Schroeder and Pennington reached base, Ledbetter doubled as well, setting the stage for Glasper’s triple. Moments later, Glasper scored on a groundout by Orender making it 12-1.
Bryant turned a doubleplay to end the top of the third after Pocahontas’ lead-off batter had reached base.
The game ended when Littleton, Bessire, Day, Dillon and Davis each singled in the bottom of the inning, the last four coming after two were out.
