BENTON — Rhett James and Hayden Hilson each blasted home runs and the defense of the Bryant 8-year-old All-Stars held Hot Springs Village without a hit in a 20-0 victory in the first round of District Tournament play on Friday.
The Bryant 8’s, managed by Clint Hilson with assistance from Mike Meaders and Bill Drennan, include Cade Drennan, Hayden Hilson, Colton Kilgore, Rhett James, Tyler Larue, Braydan Lester, Trey McKim, Jake Meaders, Riley Morales, Josh Prather, Shane Small and Gage Stark.[more]
Bryant was set to take on the winner of the Saturday morning game between the Benton 8’s and the Bryant 8’s in the second round today at 3:30, according to Coach Hilson.
Bryant scored the maximum of six runs in each of the first three innings that put the game out of reach with two more in the fourth on Hilson’s two-run shot down the line in left.
James’ bomb to dead center opened the onslaught in the third inning.
The game opened with doubles from Lester and Hilson to produce the first run. Larue followed with a single and, after Drennan bounced into a force, James and McKim laced base hits. With two down, Kilgore ripped a double then Small got the sixth run home with a single.
Hot Springs Village managed to get a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the inning by virtue of a pair of Bryant errors but the Stars closed out the inning without further damage and kept the bases clear the rest of the way.
Bryant’s second inning outburst started with consecutive singles by Stark, Prather and Morales setting the table for Lester, Hilson and Larue who belted back-to-back-to-back doubles. And when Drennan singled, the sixth run came home to make it 12-0.
After James made it 13-0 with his round-tripper to start the third, the Stars cranked it up again. McKim, Meaders, Kilgore, Small and Stark reeled off base hits before Pledger drilled a double and Morales capped off the inning with another base hit.
The game-closing fourth opened with Lester’s third double of the game before James ended it with his two-run jack.
Bryant was so dominant that Hot Springs Village wasn’t even able to get complete through its batting order in the game. (Everyone hits at the 8-year-old level.)
