SHERWOOD — With an 8-1 romp over the Saline County rival Benton All-Stars on Monday, the Bryant 9-year-old All-Stars swept four games to capture the 2018 South Arkansas Cal Ripken State Tournament and earned a top seed for Regionals set for Petal, Miss., starting July 11.
The team, managed by Greg Riggs with assistance from Adam Rauth, Tim Trusty and Chris Pringle, includes Cannon Chalmers,Carson Dozier,Gunner Frazier,Austin Hastings,Cooper Hatman,Lynden Johnson,Hunter Markham,Paxton Pringle, Max Rauth,Jaxon Riggs,Drew Tate-Lee,Landon ThorntonandJackson Trusty.
Bryant opened the tournament with a 19-6 romp over the Crossett All-Stars on Friday. Saturday, they knocked of Benton 7-3 to advance to the winners bracket finals on Sunday. A 10-5 win over Sylvan Hills put them in the finals. Benton defeated Sylvan Hills to get a return engagement, but Bryant earned the victory and the title.
Bryant 8, Benton 1
Dozier limited Benton to one unearned run on three hits with two walks and five strikeouts in the five-inning title game.
Offensively, Rauth went 3 for 3 and Chalmers, Hastings, Dozier and Riggs each had two knocks.
Bryant scored in each of the first four innings.
In the first, they had a run before they made an out. Markham led off the game with a single and scored from first on Riggs’ double to left.
Riggs stole third and, with one out, scored on Dozier’s groundout to make it 2-0.
Benton picked up its lone run in the bottom of the inning on a single, a pair of passed balls and a two-out hit. But Dozier ended the inning on a comebacker.
And Bryant added on in the second. With one down, Chalmers and Rauth each singled to right. With Chalmers racing to third on Rauth’s hit, second was open for Rauth to steal and, with two down, Riggs singled to make it 3-1.
Benton managed a two-out double in the bottom of the second, but the runner was stranded.
Dozier opened the bottom of the second with a single and Hastings lashed a liner to left for a hit. A passed ball moved them to second and third and, with one out, Frazier shot a single to center to make it 4-1.
Frazier and Hastings then worked a double steal and it was 5-1.
With two out, Chalmers lined a single to left to get Frazier home, capping off the uprising.
Despite a pair of walks, Dozier got through the bottom of the third unscathed. He fanned two and got the final out on a force at second after a grounder to Riggs at short.
Hatman’s one-out single started Bryant’s third-inning burst. He scored on Dozier’s double to right. Hastings traded places with Dozier on a double to center and the final score was in place.
Dozier set down the last six batters he faced over the last two innings.
Bryant 10, Sylvan Hills 5
Trailing 5-3 after an inning and a half, Bryant erupted for six in the home second to put them on the road to the victory over Sylvan Hills.
Riggs had two hits and drove in two runs. Hastings had two RBIs as well.
Sylvan Hills scored their five in the first one six hits including a pair of doubles. But Markham settled down and struck out the last two batters to strand a runner at second.
In the bottom of the first, Markham came to the plate and reached base on a four-pitch walk. Riggs doubled, and Markham raced home to make it 5-1.
A walk to Hatman put runners at first and second. With one out, they worked a double steal to set up Hastings, whose single chased them both home to cut the Sylvan Hills margin to two.
In the second, Markham retired the first batter on a comebacker, but two walks followed, and Hastings came on in relief. A tap to Markham at first ended the threat.
Bryant’s game-breaking second started with an infield hit by Chalmers. Pringle sacrificed him to second, but Chalmers had to hold up and only made it to third when Markham looped a hit to center and legged it out for a double.
On a similar play, Riggs doubled in Chalmers with Markham holding up at third. Hatman’s single tied the game 5-5 then a base hit by Dozier gave Bryant the lead.
Hatman scored on a passed ball as Hastings was working a walk and Trusty picked up an RBI with a groundout to first. Bryant had the maximum six runs and the inning concluded. Bryant led 9-5.
After a rain delay, Hastings walked three around a strikeout in the top of the fourth. Tate-Lee relieved and ended the threat with a strikeout and a fly to Rauth in center.
Markham led off the fourth with a walk, stole second, took third on Riggs’ grounder to second and scored on a passed ball as the game ended.
Bryant 7, Benton 3
In the first meeting with their rivals, the Bryant Stars never led until scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth when they got two to go up 4-3. A three-run fifth put the game out of reach.
Markham and Dozier each had two hits.
Frazier turned in four innings of sold relief of Dozier, allowing one run on five hits with one walk and seven strikeouts.
In the first, Dozier retired the first two batters of the game but a pair of walks on either side of a single along with an error produced a run. A single made it 2-0.
After a third walk, Dozier ended the inning with his second strikeout.
Bryant’s answer began with Markham’s first hit, a grounder up the middle for a single. With two out, however, he was still at first. Dozier kept the inning alive with an RBI double. Hastings singled to tie the game 2-2.
With Frazier on in relief, Benton used a walk and a long single to regain the upper hand, 3-2. But two strikeouts and a grounder to Chalmers at third sent it to the bottom of the inning.
Despite singles from Chalmers and Rauth, Bryant was unable to scratch in the second.
In the third, Frazier pitched around a trio of lead-off singles with the help of his catcher, Hatman, who threw out the first base-runner trying to steal. A strikeout and a popout forced Benton to strand runners at first and second.
Riggs was plunked by a pitch and Dozier reached on catcher’s interference in the bottom of the third, but they were stranded.
After Benton was retired in order in the top of the fourth, the go-ahead burst began for Bryant with an infield hit by Frazier. Tate-Lee slapped a single to right. With one out, a passed ball allowed Tate-Lee to take second. With two away, Markham chased both home with a triple to left.
A one-out single came to naught for Benton in the top of the fifth. In the home half, Bryant added on. Hatman walked and Dozier doubled him home. Trusty’s one-out double put runners at second and third for Frazier, who picked up an RBI with a grounder to second, making it 6-3.
Tate-Lee walked, and Chalmers got the run home when he reached on an error to end the game.
Bryant 19, Crossett 6
Bryant pounded out 18 hits to take advantage of nine walks, a hit batsman and seven errors. Riggs, Hatman, Hastings, Thornton and Rauth each had two hits with Hastings slugging a home run.
Tate-Lee allowed an unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts in the first three innings. Chalmers pitched in the fourth and didn’t allow a hit but Crossett scored five unearned runs on three walks and four errors.
Crossett actually led 1-0 after an inning.
In the top of the second, Trusty walked and swiped second. Johnson reached on a throwing error that allowed Trusty to score, tying the game.
Tate-Lee beat out a bunt single and when the first baseman threw wildly, Johnson scored. Tate-Lee came home on a passed ball and, after Markham drew a two-out walk, Riggs singled to make it 4-1.
A passed ball got Riggs into scoring position for Hatman, who cracked a single to right to bring him home.
In the second, a one-out walk to Trusty got the offense in gear again. Johnson singled to right and took second when the throw to third missed the cut-off man. Trusty scored on a wild pitch and Tate-Lee got a sacrifice bunt down to plate Johnson.
Chalmers reached on an error and scored on Pringle’s double to left. Markham’s RBI single made it 9-1.
Riggs’ fly to left was dropped and the bases were loaded. Hatman walked in a run then Dozier singled to increase the lead to 10.
Hastings started the bottom of the third with a drive to center that he legged out for an inside-the-park homer.
Trusty walked and Thornton singled. When Frazier’s grounder to first was misplayed, Trusty scored and when Chalmers beat out an infield hit that drew a wild throw, Thornton scored.
Rauth grounded into a force at second as Frazier scored to make it 15-1.
After Crossett’s five-run fourth, Bryant put the game away in the top of the fifth. Hastings, Trusty and Thornton each singled to load the bases for Frazier, who doubled in two. After Chalmers walked, Rauth’s double made it 19-6.
