ARKADELPHIA — The second round game at the 9-year-old State Tournament between the Bryant All-Stars and the Crossett All-Stars was tight early. The lead went back and forth until Bryant, trailing 4-3, exploded for the maximum six runs in the bottom of the third then blew the game up with six more in the fourth in a 15-5 victor on Saturday.
The Bryant 9’s, managed by Brad Chism, include John Thomas Allen, Brayden Beenken, Gavyn Benson, Eli Berry, Carter Brown, Cooper Chism, Avery Heidelberg, Preston Howlett, Landon Jackson, E J Keith, Braxton Speer, Aiden Stout and Hudson Thomason.
Keith and Speer led the effort on offense for Bryant with two hits each. Keith and Benson each drove in a pair.
Stout worked three innings on the mound and wound up the winning pitcher. Keith worked the fourth, allowing one unearned run.
Crossett took the lead in the top of the first on a two-run homer. Bryant took the lead in the home second when Speer singled to left, stole second and took third on Stout’s groundout. Keith’s single drove in the first run.
Jackson kept the inning going with a single to left that was misplayed allowing runners to move up to second and third. Keith scored on a wild pitch to knot it at 2.
Allen worked a walk and, after a pitching change, Jackson scored on a passed ball to give Bryant a lead.
But Crossett countered with two in the top of the third to regain the upper hand. A triple, a double and a single produced the runs.
The game-breaking home third began with Heidelberg reaching base by being struck with a pitch. Thomason bounced into a force at second but then Benson singled, Speer was plunked and, with the bases full, Stout waited out an RBI walk to make it 4-4.
After another pitching change for Crossett, Benson stole home to give Bryant the lead. Keith walked to fill the bags once more and Jackson was drilled by a pitch to force in Speer. Allen came through with a clutch RBI single to make it 7-4.
A walk to Brown and a passed ball capped off the inning as two more scored.
A singled, a wild pitch and an error allowed Crossett to trim a run off the margin in the top of the fourth but Keith snagged a liner back to the mound to keep it 9-5.
Another new pitcher for Crossett ran into more trouble in the home fourth as Bryant put the game out of reach. Beenken walked and Heidelberg shot a single to center. Thomason’s tapper to the mound was misplayed to load the bags. Beenken scored on a passed ball then Benson’s drive to left was misplayed. Both Heidelberg and Thomason scored to make it 12-5.
Speer’s RBI single kept the carousel turning. Stout walked and Keight singled to drive in Speer. Stout raced home on a passed ball to end the game.
