BENTON — The Bryant 9-year-old All-Stars swept four games and captured the District Tournament championship in the Cal Ripken Baseball 10-and-under tournament at Bernard Holland Park over the weekend.
The team captured the title with a 4-2 win over the Clark County 10-year-old All-Stars on Sunday. To get to the finals, the Bryant 9’s knocked off Clark County in their opener, 6-3, on Thursday, June 25. On Saturday, they ousted Hot Springs Village, 12-1 then defeated the Bryant 10’s, 7-3.
Clark County then defeated the Bryant 10’s to return to the title game. The Bryant 9’s and Clark County will advance to the 10-and-under State Tournament in Camden on July 3. The Bryant 10’s hope to get in as well as an at-large team.
The 9’s, managed by Jeremy Stovall with assistance from Michael Brower and R.C. Penfield, include Garrison Blacklaw, Brady Brower, Reid Catton, Clay Crawford, Gage Horn, Grant Johnson, Carson Kemp, Justen Myles, Gideon Motes, Hank Penfield, Caden Stovall and Cason Trickey.
The 10’s, managed by Danny Dunn with assistance from Michael Woods and Jimmy Cline, include J.C. Calicott, Jorge Acosta, Ethan Adams, Mason Butler, Matthew Cline, Tucker Dunn, Gage Graham, Zack Gurrieri, Ryan Harmon, Chris Hernandez, Justin Mitchem and Lakin Woods.
Bryant 9’s 4, Clark County 2
Trailing 2-0 after three innings, Bryant rallied for a run in the fourth and another in the fifth to tie the game. In the sixth, Brower led off with a walk and, with one out, Horn drilled a triple to center to put them ahead. With two down, an error on Kemp’s grounder to first allowed Horn to score, making it 4-2.
Trickey, the third pitcher of the game for Bryant, and 9’s defense retired the side in order in the bottom of the sixth to nail down the championship.
Horn led the team’s offense with two hits.
Clark County used three hits and a walk to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. In the third, an error, a walk, a passed ball and a two-out single made it 2-0.
Bryant was held without a hit until Brower beat out an infield single with one out in the fourth. Penfield and Horn followed with knocks to load the bases. Johnson bounced into a force at second but beat the relay to first to avoid and inning-ending doubleplay as Brower scored.
Kemp worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fourth and, in the top of the fifth, Bryant tied it. Blacklaw led off with a single and, after Crawford sacrificed him to second and a passed ball allowed him to take third, Motes drilled a triple to right.
It stayed tied as Clark County got out of the inning with Motes stranded at third.
Blacklaw worked the bottom of the fifth on the mound for Bryant and struck out the side around a pair of singles, setting up the game-winning uprising.
Bryant 9’s 7, Bryant 10’s 3
A five-run first sparked the Bryant 9’s to victory after the 10’s had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Walks hurt both teams as the teams combined to issue 15 free passes. Stovall had two hits.
The 10’s grabbed the initial advantage when Acosta and Woods singled ahead of a walk to Dunn that loaded the sacks. With one out, Gurrieri cracked a single to left to chance in Acosta.
But Johnson, the 9’s starter, fanned the next two batters to keep it 1-0.
At the plate, one-out walks to Brower, Penfield, Horn, Johnson, Kemp and Blacklaw produced three runs. With two down, Crawford and Motes drew free passes to make it 5-1.
The 10’s came back with a run in the top of the second when Adams reached second on an error, took third on a passed ball and, after Hernandez walked, they worked a double steal.
Johnson retired the side in order in the third then worked around a lead-off walk to Butler in the fourth.
In the home third, the 10’s turned a doubleplay after Kemp was hit by a pitch to open the frame. Stovall singled but Woods, the third pitcher, induced another grounder that retired the side.
Woods worked around a one-out error in the bottom of the fourth.
In the fifth, Acosta reached on an error but was forced at second on a bouncer back to Johnson. Dunn walked but the next two were retired to keep it 5-2.
The 9’s padded the lead in the bottom of the inning. Horn walked and Johnson drilled a double to left. With one out, a passed ball allowed Horn to score. And when Blacklaw’s fly was misplayed, Johnson scored to make it 7-2.
Stovall singled and Crawford got a sacrifice bunt down but Woods recorded his second strikeout of the inning to prevent more damage.
Johnson retired the first two in the top of the sixth but the 10’s did not go quietly. Adams was hit by a pitch and Graham drilled a single to right. Acosta drew a free pass to load the bases and a passed ball allowed Adams to score.
A walk to Woods refilled the bags but a ground ball resulted in a force at second, bringing the game to and end.
Bryant 9’s 12, Hot Springs Village 1
Catton, Brower, Penfield and Kemp each had two hits to lead the Bryant 9’s scoring binge.
Motes and Blacklaw combined to limit Hot Springs Village to one run on three hits in the four-inning contest.
Bryant actually trailed 1-0 after two innings but an 8-run third set the stage for the rout.
The 9’s loaded the bases on a double from Johnson, a single by Kemp and a walk to Motes in the second but couldn’t get on the board. Hot Springs Village used three walks and a single to grab the lead in the bottom of the frame.
The game-breaking third began with singles from Catton and Brower. When Brower’s infield hit drew a wild throw to first, Catton hustled all the way home. With Brower at third, Penfield singled to give Bryant a 2-1 lead.
Penfield swiped second and went to third on a single by Horn. Johnson was plunked by a delivery and the bases were packed for Kemp who delivered a two-run single.
After a passed ball advanced the runners to second and third, Crawford got a squeeze bunt down, plating Johnson and Kemp. A passed ball moved runners to second and third and Motes picked up an RBI with a groundout, making it 7-1. Trickey walked and Catton drilled a double to left to make it 8-1.
Hot Springs Village put together a couple of hits in the third but the inning was put to rest when Crawford picked off the runner at second and a flyout followed.
Four more runs scored in the top of the fourth. Penfield singled and Horn’s grounder to short drew a wild throw to put runners at second and third for Johnson, who got one in with a bouncer to short. With two away, Blacklaw singled in Horn.
A base hit by Crawford put runners on second and third. Motes followed with a grounder to short resulting in another throwing error as Blacklaw and Crawford scored the final runs.
Hot Springs Village was retired in order in the bottom of the fourth with Blacklaw fanning the last two.
Bryant 9’s 6, Clark County 3
To start the tournament, Bryant snapped a 1-1 tie with a four-run fourth on the way to victory. Blacklaw and Kemp each had two hits.
Trickey picked up the win on the mound, allowing one run on one hit with four walks and six strikeouts over the first five innings. Motes relieved in the sixth and closed out the win, squelching a Clark County rival that produced two runs in the inning.
Both teams scored in the third. Bryant took the lead when Kemp singled, Trickey walked and, after a passed ball and a walk to Catton, Penfield got the run home with a sacrifice fly.
Clark County used a walk, a single and an error to even it up in the home half.
The tale-tell fourth began with a one-out walk to Motes. Blacklaw singled to left and Crawford, getting a sacrifice bunt down, reached when the ball was misplayed.
Kemp came through with a two-run double. Crawford scored on an error and Kemp stole home to make it 5-1.
After Trickey set the side down in order in the bottom of the fourth, the 9’s tacked on some insurance in the fifth when Brower beat out a bunt for a hit, took second on a passed ball and third on a tap by Penfield. Horn’s sacrifice fly got him home.
In the bottom of the sixth, Motes and the Bryant defense retired the first two Clark County batters but a double and a pair of errors produced a run. A double steal got another in before Motes ended it with a strikeout.
