BENTON — With an 11-6 win over rival Benton, the Bryant 6-year-old All-Stars captured the Tournament of Champions crown at Bernard Holland Park last weekend. Bryant reached the final with a 17-4 romp over Elite Baseball.
Members of the Bryant team include Mason Abrahamson, Brady Brown, Lex Cicero, Deacon Cicero, Tagan Dunn, Garrett Hill, Evan Hill, Wyatt Hunter, Keller Hyder, Ethan Kelley, Austin Markham and Crews Thomason. The team is led by head coach Rick Brown with assistance from Mike Abrahamson, Shawn Hill, Jacob Hunter and Seth Hyder.
Bryant 11, Benton 6
Benton took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Bryant trumped that in the bottom of the first when Thomason and Abrahamson singled with one out and Hunter drilled a double. Dunn singled and advanced on an outfield error before Brown singled and Lex Cicero capped off the inning with a double, making it 4-2.
Neither team scored in the second. In the third, Bryant increased the advantage to 5-2 when Hunter reached on an error, advanced on Dunn’s groundout then came around on singles by Brown and Markham.
Benton rallied to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the fourth but, again, Bryant had an answer. With one out in the home half of the inning, Hyder, Thomason, Abrahamson and Hunter cracked consecutive hits. With two down, Brown lashed his third hit of the game.
Lex Cicero’s grounder to second was booted to extend the inning for Markham who capped off the uprising with a double, making it a max-run inning.
With the 11-6 lead, the Bryant Stars worked around a lead-off single and held Benton in the top of the fifth to close out the championship victory.
Bryant 17, Elite Baseball 4
A six-run first launched Bryant’s rout.
Elite Baseball had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning but Bryant’s turn started with consecutive hits by Hyder, Thomason, Abrahamson and Hunter. Dunn grounded into a force out but picked up an RBI. Brown followed with a shot to center that was misplayed and padded the lead. Lex Cicero and Markham each singled to make it 6-1.
Elite whittled a run off the lead in the top of the second but Bryant’s onslaught resumed in the bottom of the frame as Deacon Cicero and Garrett Hill singled. Hyder’s hit resulted in a force at second but an error on the play allowed Deacon Cicero to score.
With two away, Abrahamson, Hunter and Dunn cracked singled as the lead ballooned to 10-2.
The third brought two more runs for Elite Baseball as they shrank the lead to 6 but Bryant’s bats did not cool down. Markham started a one-out outburst in the home third. Deacon Cicero’s single was followed by an error as well Garrett Hill’s.
With two down, the run-scoring commenced as once again, Thomason, Abrahamson and Hunter ripped consecutive singles. Dunn belted a double and when Brown’s shot to short was misplayed, the score was 17-4.
Elite managed a pair of two-out hits in the top of the fourth but when neither could score the game was over.
