SHERWOOD — In the 8-and-under Cal Ripken State Tournament, a 7-year-old team from Bryant wound up finishing[more] 11th out of 43 teams. It was the last team of 7’s to be eliminated.
Jason Greiner is the manager of the 7-year-old team with assistance from Ryan Martin and Kevin McDonald. Members include Evan Barrrett, Luke Dreher, Caleb Greiner, Drew Hatman, Kason Highfill, Connor Martin, Logan McDonald, Colby Morrow, Cade Parker, Turner Seelinger, Hayden Thompson and Logan White.
The team opened the tournament with a 14-4 win over the Marion Fire but then had to play the Bryant 8-year-old team which has since reached the championship round. Despite a 9-1 loss, the team worked their way through the behemoth loser’s bracket eliminating four teams before being knocked out by Dumas, 11-4, in their third game on Sunday.
They ousted the Magnolia Mustangs 8-6 and the Camden Sluggers 7-2 on Saturday before knocking out Lake Village 14-8 and the Cabot Cyclones 7-5 on Sunday.
For details of the game between the Bryant 7’s and the Bryant 8’s, go here.
Bryant 14, Marion Fire 4
Bryant grabbed a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Dreher doubled to start the opening salvo with one out. Thompson tripled to bring him in then scored on a single by Barrett. Parker smacked a double and, with two down, McDonald’s two-bagger drove in Barrett and Parker.
Marion managed a pair of runs in the top of the second but Bryant trumped that with five in the bottom of the inning. White beat out an infield hit and stole second then scored on a double by Highfill. With one out, Hatman singled to drive in a run then scored when Martin tripled.
Though Martin was tagged out, Dreher got the offense going again with a double. He stole third and held as Thompson beat out an infield hit. The duo worked a double steal to get Dreher home, making it 8-2. Barrett then capped the inning with a triple.
Greiner started a four-run third with a single and a stolen base. With one out, Seelinger doubled him home. White and Highfill each doubled and, with two out, Hatman’s single made it 13-4.
Bryant made it a 10-run win in the fourth when Thompson circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Bryant 8, Magnolia Mustangs 6
Magnolia scored three times in the top of the first then Bryant’s defense stifled the Mustangs until the fifth inning while the offense built an 8-3 lead. Magnolia rallied for a run in the fifth and two in the sixth but fell short of a comeback.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the first, Bryant’s rally in the bottom of the inning began with a single and a stolen base by McDonald. Dreher singled to send him to third then stole second as well before Thompson chased both home with a triple. Barrett’s single plated Thompson and, after he stole second, he scored on Martin’s two-out single to center to snap the 3-3 tie.
Bryant added a pair of runs in the third. Dreher and Thompson had two-out singles and, after they stole to move up to second and third, Barrett’s base hit drove them home.
Base hits by White and Hatman started a two-run fourth. Morrow doubled them around to make it 8-3.
Bryant 7, Camden Sluggers 2
A five-run first sent Bryant on its way to this win on Saturday evening. The defense kept Camden from scoring over the first three innings and, again in the fifth, after the Sluggers’ lone runs scored in the fourth.
Dreher’s one-out single started the early outburst. He stole his way to third and Barrett singled. Parker doubled in a run and Greiner singled. After he stole second, Martin’s double drove Parker and Greiner home. A double by White made it 5-0.
The Stars added a pair of runs to the lead in the second. Morrow instigated the uprising with a lead-off single and a stolen base. Highfill got to second as Morrow advanced to third on his hit. Seelinger’s groundout allowed Morrow to score then McDonald’s bouncer to third plated Highfill to make it 7-0.
Bryant 14, Lake Village 8
Bryant snapped an 8-8 tie with a six-run fifth that Lake Village couldn’t overcome.
The game-breaking inning began with Thompson’s two-out single. Barrett doubled him home and Parker followed suit with a two-bagger to make it 10-8. Greiner singled then Martin’s base hit drove in a run. Seelinger singled in a run then White picked up an RBI when he grounded into a force at third. But Hatman singled White in to complete the maximum-scoring frame.
Bryant led early 1-0. In the first, base hits by Dreher, Barrett and Parker produced the run. After Lake Village struck for four in the second, Bryant responded with five in the third to take the lead.
Infield hits by Hatman, Morrow and Highfill loaded the bases for McDonald who doubled in two. Dreher’s grounder to third resulted in McDonald being tagged out but got Highfill home with the tying run. After Thompson singled, Parker drove a double to right to drive in the go-ahead runs.
Lake Village answered with three in the bottom of the inning to regain the advantage. But back came Bryant to take an 8-7 lead into the bottom of the fourth. Seelinger and Hatman had singled to set the table for Morrow’s two-out, two-run triple.
Lake Village tied it in the bottom of the inning leading to Bryant’s blow-out inning in the fifth.
Bryant 7, Cabot Cyclones 5
This time, Bryant broke up a 2-2 tie with five runs in the fourth then held off a Cabot rally in the fifth. The Cyclones got another chance in the sixth but went down in order.
Cabot took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first but Bryant responded with two in the bottom of the inning. McDonald and Dreher singled then Thompson grounded into a force at third. Barrett, however, came through with a double to drive in both runs.
It stayed 2-1 until Cabot tied it with a run in the third. After holding Bryant in the bottom of the third, however, the Cyclones were unable to snap the tie in the top of the fourth and the Stars took control of the game.
Dreher beat out an infield hit and stole second. He took third on a one-out hit by Barrett then scored on a double by Parker. Greiner drove in two with a double. Martin singled to get Greiner to third and he held there as Seelinger reached. White hit one to third the resulted in Greiner being forced out at the plate but Martin’s double chased hom Martin and Seelinger, making it 7-2.
Cabot scored its three runs in the top of the fifth and had the potential tying runs at second and third when Bryant got the third out to escape with the lead.
The Cyclones got a pair of runners aboard in the sixth as well but couldn’t dent the plate.
Dumas 11, Bryant 4
Dumas scored in every inning when the Stars were limited to two in the first and two more in the fourth as their run came to a conclusion.
The first-inning runs came as a result of Dreher’s single, Thompson’s double and a double by Barrett on which Thompson held at third. Parker got him home with an RBI groundout.
That tied the game 2-2 at the time but Dumas got two more in the second and five in the third while holding Bryant down. Two more in the top of the fourth made it 9-2 before Bryant whittled two off the margin in the bottom of the inning.
Barrett tripled with one out and held as Parker reached on an infield hit. Greiner’s two-run double proved to be the last the Stars would get.
