LONG BEACH, Miss. — Defense made the difference for the Bryant 7-year-old All-Stars as[more] they opened play in the 2013 Southwest Regional Tournament today.
Of course, 14 runs didn’t hurt either as the Stars dismissed Jonesboro Blue, 14-0.
The Bryant 7-year-old team, managed by Jeremy Stovall, is Garrison Blacklaw, Brady Brower, Reid Catton, Clay Crawford, Gage Horn, Dillon Hunt, Grant Johnson, Carson Kemp, Gideon Motes, Carson Nagle, Hank Penfield, and Caden Stovall.
Jonesboro managed just four hits in the t-ball game, which means Bryant played solid defense.
Actually, Jonesboro did too for a couple of innings but when Bryant broke through it came a flood. After a three-run third broke through, Bryant scored six in the fourth then put the game out of reach with five runs in the top of the fifth.
Kemp and Johnson had three hits each. Catton, Hunt, Horn, Stovall and Brower added two hits each. Johnson contributed three runs batted in.
Brower started the third inning outbreak with an infield hit. With two down, he stole second then scored on Catton’s double. Kemp followed with a shot to right for a home run to make it 3-0.
The game-breaking fourth began with doubles from Hunt and Johnson. Horn singled in the second run then Nagle lashed a single to left. Stovall doubled in Horn. Nagle and Stovall scored when Motes grounded to first. Brower singled and, with one out, Crawford cracked an RBI double.
Catton and Kemp started the fifth with singled. Blacklaw belted a double to make it 10-0. Hunt’s bunt single got Kemp in and an error put runners at second and third for Johnson who mashed his third double to plate two. When Horn’s blooper fell in for an RBI double, the final score was on the board.
