LONOKE — After suffering their first loss of the 8-and-under State Tournament, the Bryant 7-year-old All-Stars bounced back on Sunday night with a 11-4 win over the Lonoke 7/8 team, advancing in the losers bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
The Bryant 7’s, coached by Chris Pringle, includes Blake Brower, Cannon Chalmers, Carson Dozier, Jake Elliott, Cooper Hatman, Lyndon Johnson, Hunter Markham, Reid Mitchell, Paxton Pringle, Max Rauth, Jaxon Riggs, Drew Tate-Lee and Jackson Trusty.
The All-Stars’ first loss of the tourney, after opening with two wins, came at the hands of the Benton 8-year-old team earlier on Sunday, 9-2.
Bryant 11, Lonoke 4
In survival mode, the All-Stars put together three-run innings in the first and third. Lonoke scored in those frames as well but only got two across the plate then was unable to score in the final two at-bats.
With the lead 7-4 going into the sixth, Bryant put it out of reach with four more.
Elliott, Riggs, Hatman and Tate-Lee each had three hits for the victors. Riggs and Hatman each drove in two runs.
In the top of the first, Elliott singled and stole second then sprinted home when Riggs yanked a triple into left field. Mitchell picked up an RBI with a grounder to short, making it 2-0. Back-to-back doubles by Hatman and Markham produced the third tally.
Lonoke got two runs back in the bottom of the inning and it stayed 3-2 until Bryant came up in the third. A one-out single by Elliott was followed by a three-bagger by Brower. Riggs singled him in and, after stealing second, he scored on a triple by Hatman to make it 6-2.
Lonoke cut it to 6-4 in the bottom of the inning but Bryant tacked on a run in the fourth. Tate-Lee singled to right with one out, stole second and scored on Trusty’s double to left.
Only one Lonoke batter reached base in its last two at-bats and Bryant’s game-clinching sixth commenced. Riggs doubled, Mitchell singled and Hatman drove in a run with a knock to center. A double steal made it 9-4. Markham beat out a bunt hit and the double steal worked again for a run. Tate-Lee came through with an rBI single to right to end it.
Benton 9, Bryant 2
Benton broke open a 2-2 game with five runs in the top of the third and Bryant was unable to cut into the margin the rest of the way. Single runs in the fifth and the sixth clinched the victory for Benton’s 8’s.
Elliott and Tate-Lee each had two hits for Bryant, which fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first.
In the home first, Elliott singled to center and stole second. With two out, Mitchell came through with a single to center to put runners at first and third for Hatman, who beat out an infield hit as Elliott scored. Markham beat out an infield hit to load the bases but Benton wriggled off the hook to keep the lead.
But, after Bryant retired its rival 1-2-3 in the top of the second, a one-out single by Tate-Lee began a tying uprising in the home half of the inning. Chalmers legged out a base hit and, after Tate-Lee swiped third, Trusty came through with the game-tying single.
Benton, however, put together its five-run burst and Bryant was unable to get much going the rest of the way. Elliott singled but was stranded in the third. Base hits by Dozier and Johnson came to naught in the fourth.
Benton tacked on a run in the top of the fifth and Bryant was stopped again despite a lead-off double by Tate-Lee in the bottom half of the frame.
