SHERWOOD — Over the last month or so, the Bryant 8-year-old All-Stars and the Little Rock Junior Deputy 8’s met seven times. Bryant sent 6-1 in those meetings but, when the two teams met again in the championship round of the Cal Ripken State tournament on Wednesday, Junior Deputy turned the tables on the Future Hornets, capturing the title with a 7-2 win.
The setback came on the heels of an intense 1-0 win for Bryant over the rival Benton Future Panthers in the losers bracket final. Earlier in the tourney, Benton had knocked Bryant into the losers bracket with a 7-6 victory. But the Future Hornets battled back to oust host Sylvan Hills, 8-6 and knock out Hamburg, 10-9.
To open the tournament, Bryant had defeated El Dorado 10-3, McGehee 9-0, and Crossett 14-0 on Saturday, July 4. On Sunday, they kayoed Little Rock Conine, 12-0 before running into Benton the first time on Monday.
The Bryant team will advance to Regionals in Hattiesburg, Miss., starting July 16, and may get more chances to play Junior Deputy. The Future Hornets are managed by Brad Chism with assistance from Jeff Jackson and Brad Benson. Team members are John Thomas Allen, Brayden Beenken, Gavyn Benson, Carter Brown, Cooper Chism, Avery Heidelberg, Drake Holland, Preston Howlett, Landon Jackson, E.J. Keith, Braxton Speer, Aiden Stout and Hudson Thomason.
Junior Deputy 7, Bryant 2
The game was tied 2-2 after two innings but the Little Rock team kept Bryant from scoring the rest of the way while taking a 4-2 lead in the third then adding on with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Junior Deputy grabbed a 2-0 lead in the home first but Bryant tied it in the top of the second when Benson singled, Jackson beat out a bunt and Stout cracked an RBI single to left. On the late throw to the plate, Jackson took third and Stout followed up to second. With one out, Brown picked up an RBI with a groundout to third to tie it.
In the third, Howlett reached base on an error with one out but Junior Deputy turned a doubleplay to escape, setting up their go-ahead uprising in the bottom of the inning.
Bryant made a bid to score in the fourth when Keith belted a two-out double and Speer beat out an infield hit but both were stranded.
Trailing 5-2, Bryant put two aboard in the top of the fifth as Stout and Allen reached on errors but to no avail. Holland singled in the top of the sixth but was stranded as the game concluded.
Bryant 1, Benton 0
Heidelberg and Jackson combined on a six-hit shutout and Bryant scratched out the game’s lone run in the top of the third.
Chism scored the run. Beenken led off the third with an infield hit then Chism took his place on base, bouncing into a force at second. Howlett followed with a shot to left that went for a double, chasing Chism in from first.
Bryant threatened to get more when Heidelberg singled, for one of his three hits in the game, as Howlett held at second, and Thomason lashed a base hit to left to load the bases but a pop up on the infield ended the inning.
Benton’s best chances to score came in the second with a two-out single and an error, and in the fourth with a pair of singles.
Bryant 10, Hamburg 9
Benson and Stout each had three hits as Bryant outslugged Hamburg, coming from behind to win and avoid elimination.
Hamburg led 9-8 after four innings but while Heidelberg calmed the Hamburg bats in relief of Jackson, Bryant rallied for a run to tie the game in the fifth then won in walk-off fashion with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Stout doubled in Heidelberg with the game-winner with one out.
In the fifth, Keith’s two-out double led to the tying run. Benson followed with an RBI single.
Each team scored a run in the first. For Bryant, it was a result of doubles from Thomason and Benson.
Hamburg took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second only to have Bryant gain the advantage in the bottom half, scoring three times. Speer singled to open the uprising. Heidelberg sacrificed him to second then Stout singled him in, taking second on the late throw to the plate. Base hits by Brown and Beenken tied the game. Chism’s single up the middle gave Bryant the lead.
But back came Hamburg with three in the top of the third to go up 6-4. Bryant picked up a run in the bottom of the frame on singles by Holland, Allen and Benson.
Hamburg threatened to put the game away with three more in the top of the fourth but, again, Bryant had an answer. Speer singled, Heidelberg reached on an error then Stout ripped a two-run triple to left. Brown singled him in and it was 9-8. Chism reached on an error as the Future Hornets threatened to tie it but Hamburg escaped further damage until Bryant’s next turn at bat.
Bryant 8, Sylvan Hills 6
Jackson had three hits and the Future Hornets held off a Sylvan Hills rally after building an 8-2 lead.
Bryant took a 1-0 lead in the first when Allen reached on a dropped pop, stole second and raced home on Benson’s two-out single.
Sylvan Hills gained a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the inning but it didn’t last long. In the top of the second, Jackson beat out a bunt single and swiped second. He took third on Speer’s groundout then scored on a double by Heidelberg. Singles by Stout and Brown brought Heidelberg around then Stout scored on Beenken’s drive to right. The ball was misplayed but, because he thought it would be caught, Brown held up at first and wound up being forced out at second on the play.
A bunt single by Howlett opened the floodgate in the top of the third. Holland sacrificed him to second and, with two out, Thomason singled. Keith and Benson came through with RBI singles and, after Jackson beat out another bunt to load the sacks, Speer rifled a single to right to plate two, making it 8-2.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth when Sylvan Hills put together a four-run rally. With the potential tying runs on base, Bryant escaped on a grounder to Brown at short.
Both teams made noise in the sixth but neither could cash in.
Benton 7, Bryant 6
Bryant held a 6-4 lead going into the top of the sixth but Benton rallied to take the lead then held on despite hits from Howlett and Allen in the bottom of the sixth.
A four-run first put Bryant in the driver’s seat. Thomason’s single with one out instigated the outburst. Keith doubled him home and, after Benson reached on an error and Jackson bunted for a hit, Speer laced an RBI single to left. Stout plated two with his knock to center.
In the second, Beenken reached on an error, swiped second and scored on an error after Chism’s groundout to make it 5-0.
Benton began to chip away with a run in the third and two in the fourth. A run in the fifth had the lead whittled to 5-4 but Bryant tacked on a run in the home fifth on a single by Brown and a clutch two-out triple by Beenken.
But Benton took advantage of a couple of errors to score three in the top of the sixth to take its first lead.
Bryant 12, Little Rock Conine 0
A six-run second highlighted Bryant’s four-inning rout on Sunday. Chism, Speer, Jackson and Keith each had two hits with Chism driving in three runs.
Bryant took a 3-0 lead in the first. Allen reached on an error, stole second and scored on a single by Keith. Benson was awarded first on catcher’s interference then Jackson bunted for a hit to load the bases for Speer, who delivered two runs with a single.
The second began with Brown’s single. He was forced at second on a bouncer to short by Beenken but an errant throw allowed him to take second. Chism singled him in.
Bunt hits by Howlett and Holland loaded the bases for Allen, who drilled a double to knock in a pair. Thomason picked up an RBI with a groundout to third then Keight singled to make it 8-0.
A base hit by Benson and a passed ball put Keith at third. He scored on Jackson’s hit.
Bryant put the game out of reach in the home third. Speer, Heidelberg and Stout each singled to open the inning. Brown delivered a sacrifice fly before Chism capped things off with a two-run single.
Bryant 14, Crossett 0
Five runs in the first and the maximum of six in the third helped Bryant make quick work of Crossett, which managed just two hits. Thomason had three for Bryant.
The first-inning blitz started with consecutive singles by Allen, Thomason and Keith to produce the first run. Benson doubled in two, Heidelberg singled one in and Stout doubled to make it 5-0.
In the second, Holland singled in Beenken, who had reached on an error, stolen second and moved to third on a groundout by Howlett.
The game-busting third started with singles from Thomason and Keith. With one out, Jackson beat out a bunt and an errant throw allowed a run to score. Speer singled in another then consecutive knocks by Heidelberg, Stout, Brown Beenken and Chism completed the onslaught.
Base hit by Holland, Allen and Thomason produced a run in the top of the fourth. Keith’s RBI groundout completed the scoring.
Bryant 9, McGehee 0
A max-inning to open the game set Bryant on its way to its second win of the tournament. Keith belted two home runs and drove in four.
Base hits by Allen and Thomason along with an error produced the first run and set the stage for Keith’s two-run blast in the opening frame. Jackson singled then Speer clubbed a two-run homer. Heidelberg singled, stole second and scored on Stout’s hit to make it 6-0.
It stayed that way until the third when Keith slugged his second two-run bomb. In the fourth, hits by Speer, Heidelberg and Stout put the game out of reach.
Bryant 10, El Dorado 3
In the opener, El Dorado led 2-1 before Bryant exploded for six runs in the fourth. Thomason, Speer and Beenken each had two hits in the game.
El Dorado took a 2-0 lead in the home first. Bryant didn’t get on the board until the third when Beenken beat out a bunt single, stole second and scored when Howlett’s liner to first was misplayed.
The fourth-inning explosion began with hits by Allen and Thomason. They moved up on Keith’s groundout. Benson chased both home with a single. Jackson’s bunt went for a hit and resulted in an error to put runners at second and third for Speer who drilled a two-run single to make it 5-2.
Heidelberg came through with the big hit of the inning, driving a triple to right. Speer scored then Stout singled to make it 7-2.
El Dorado scratched out a run in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, hits by Brown and Beenken had runners at second and third. Chism reached on an error that allowed both to score. Chism wound up at second and, after Howlett reached on an error, Holland plated a run with a sacrifice to make it 10-3.
