MAUMELLE — The Bryant 9-year-old Blue team rallied for two runs in the top of the sixth to tie[more] the Maumelle Bulldogs but a run in the bottom of the inning gave the Bulldogs the championship of the tournament held the weekend of April 20-22.
Bryant opened the tournament with a 7-6 loss to the Prospects but bounced back to win over the Travelers, 5-3, and the Bryant Blue 10’s, 6-5, to reach the championship game. Maumelle prevailed 5-4.
The Bryant team includes Dakota Clay, Noah Davis, Cooper Davis, Peyton Dillon, Will Hathcote, Cameron McDonald, Justin Orender, Ryan Riggs, Austin Schroeder, Lawson Speer, Joshua Turner and Garrett Wilson.
Maumelle Bulldogs 5, Bryant 4
Trailing 4-2, Bryant rallied in the top of the sixth to tie the game. Wilson doubled and, with two down, Schroeder singled him home. He stole his way to third then scored the tying run on a base hit by Clay.
Bryant made a bid to take the lead when Clay stole second but he was stranded.
Bryant had initially taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Wilson smacked a two-out single and raced home on a triple by Dillon.
Maumelle scored twice on four hits in the bottom of the inning, however, to take a brief lead.
Bryant tied it up in the top of the second on a triple by Clay with one out and a two-out single from Riggs to drive him in.
It stayed 2-2 until the bottom of the third when Maumelle scratched out two more runs on three hits and a walk.
Wilson took over on the mound as Bryant’s third pitcher and stopped the Bulldogs the rest of the way. But Bryant was unable to score again until the sixth-inning uprising that tied the game briefly.
Bryant 9’s 6, Bryant 10’s 5
The Bryant 10’s took a 1-0 lead in the first on hits by Hall, McKim and Foster. In their turn, the Bryant 9’s took a 3-1 lead. Noah Davis singled with one out and Wilson cracked a double to drive him home. After Wilson swiped third, Dillon singled him in. Base hits by Schroeder and McDonald brought Dillon around to score the third run.
The Bryant 10’s answered with four in the top of the second on hits by Curtis, Jordan, Lester, Hall, Cook, McKim, Foster and Harris.
A two-run home second knotted the game at 5. Orender singled to start the Bryant 9’s rally. Noah Davis singled as well and both scored.
In the top of the third, singles by Lester and Prather with two down came to naught for the Bryant 10’s and the Bryant 9’s won it in the bottom of the inning when Clay doubled, stole third but stayed there as McDonald and Hathcote reached base. A base hit by Riggs drove in the game-winning run.
Bryant 5, Travelers 3
Bryant gained an early lead when, in the opening frame, Spear walked and stole second then McDonald and Dillon singled to bring him around.
The Travelers scored twice in the bottom of the inning to gain the upper hand but the seesaw battle was underway in earnest when Bryant countered with two of its own in the top of the second. Riggs singled and stole second. With one out Schroeder walked and, with two away, Speer singled, Noah Davis walked and McDonald came through with a hit.
The Travelers tied it in the bottom of the inning but Bryant struck for two more for the difference-maker in the top of the third. Dillon singled and Wilson walked ahead of hits by Hathcote and Cooper Davis around a one-out walk to Riggs.
That was the end of the scoring as Bryant retired six of the last seven, allowing only a one-out single in the borttom of the third.
Prospects 7, Bryant 6
A seven-run third was all the Prospects needed as they held off a Bryant rally in the fourth inning, which concluded with the bases loaded.
Bryant took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Noach Davis was hit by a pitch and eventually scored.
In the second, Clay singled and stole his way to third as Hathcote walked. The duo worked a double steal to get the run home before Schroeder singled.
But the Propects erupted for seven runs in the top of the third. Bryant went through three pitchers in the inning.
They trimmed a run off the lead in the bottom of the third when Speer walked, stole second and eventually came home on a groundout by Noah Davis.
Wilson, the fourth Bryant hurler, worked a 1-2-3 top of the fourth to set up a final Bryant rally. Wilson, Clay and Cooper Davis started the inning with singles. Hatcote, Shroeder and Orender had hits to bring them around and fill the bags with one out before the Propects escaped.
