SHERWOOD — After the Bryant 7-year-old team opened the 8-and-under State Tournament with a[more] 14-4 drubbing of Marion, they ran into their compatriots on the 8-year-old team from Bryant. The 8’s prevailed 9-1 to advance to a 5:45 p.m. winners bracket game today. The 7’s were set to play again today at 12:30 p.m., in an elimination contest.
Matt Orender coaches the 8-year-olds with assistance from Patrick Schroeder and Paul Speer. Team members include Luke Bessire, Dakota Clay, Cooper Davis, Noah Davis, Peyton Dillon, Will Hathcote, Jagger Littleton, Justin Orender, Brett Pennington, Austin Schroeder, Lawson Speer, Josh Turner and Garret Wilson.
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.
Bryant also has an 8-and-under team playing at the tourney but no details of its opener on Friday have been made available yet.
Details of the Bryant 7-year-old team’s win over Marion are pending as well.
In the game between Bryant teams, the 8’s broke out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Littleton and Cooper Davis each singled then stole their way to second and third before Dillon chased them home with a double. Clay traded places with Dillon when he cracked an RBI double then so did Wilson to drive in the fourth run. Hathcote singled and reached second on the throw that held Wilson at third but the 7’s got out of the inning at that point with no further damage.
In the bottom of the fifth, Thompson beat out a bunt for a hit but was stranded.
It stayed 4-0 until the third inning when the 7’s got on the board. Singles by White and Highfill opened the inning but then the 8’s turned a doubleplay. With White at third, Hatman singled to make it 4-1.
The 8’s countered in the fourth inning when Dillon singled and Clay walked. With one out, Hathcote singled to drive in both runs. Schroeder looped what looked like a hit to right with two down but the 7’s got the ball in quickly to force Hathcote out at second to end the uprising.
Dreher doubled to start the bottom of the fourth for the 7’s but he was tagged out trying to take third on a grounder by Thompson. Barrett bounced into a force at second but then Parker doubled him to third. But the 8’s got the third out forcing the 7’s to strand two in scoring position.
In turn, the 8’s padded the 6-1 lead in the top of the fifth. Orender singled, Speer walked and Bessire lashed a base hit. Pennington’s hit drove in another run but the 7’s threw out Bessire as he tried to make third. With two down, Littleton doubled in Pennington and the final score was on the board.
McDonald singled to start the bottom of the fifth but was forced out at second on a grounder to third by Seelinger. White sacrificed Seelinger to second but that was as far as he would get.
