DUMAS — The Bryant All-Stars advanced to semifinals of the 9-year-old State Tournament with[more] three straight victories over the weekend. They are set to take on Little Rock Junior Deputy’s All-Stars this evening with a trip to the championship round in the balance.
The team, with Jeremy Morrow as manager, includes Evan Barrett, Carson Burnett, Gavin Burton, Luke Dreher, Caleb Greiner, Drew Hatman, Connor Martin, Colby Morrow, Cade Parker, J.T. Parker, Turner Seelinger, Hayden Thompson and Logan White.
To open the tournament, Bryant defeated the Junior Deputy B team, 8-6. They edged Star City 6-4 then Camden 8-7.
Along with the State title, the teams are competing for a trip to the Southwest Regional Tournament, which will be held at Junior Deputy starter July 19.
Bryant 8, Camden 7
With three runs in the top of the sixth, Bryant’s Stars appeared to have broke the game open, increasing their lead to 8-4 but Camden rallied for three its own in the bottom of the sixth and had the potential tying run on base with one out. But Bryant got the final two outs to nail down the win.
Bryant grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Martin was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on White’s groundout.
Camden tied it in the bottom of the inning with a walk and a pair of infield hits but Bryant regained the advantage in the second by plating Dreher and Cade Parker. Dreher beat out an infield hit to start the inning and wound up scoring on Parker’s knock. J.T. Parker picked up the RBI on the second run.
Despite a lead-off triple, Camden was only able to get one run in the bottom of the second and, in turn, the Bryant Stars tacked on an additional run in the top of the third when Thompson belted a triple to deep right-center and scored on a hit by Morrow, making it 4-2.
In the home fourth, however, Camden struck for two, pulling even. It didn’t stay that way long. In the top of the fifth, Martin walked and eventually scored as White grounded out and Burton flew out to center.
Camden was retired in order in the bottom of the inning and Bryant’s sixth commenced with Dreher smacking a double to right center. Cade Parker singled him in and, with two down, scored on a base hit by Barrett that was misplayed. Martin walked and White came through with an RBI single. Barrett scored before Martin was thrown out trying to get to third on the play, ending the inning.
Bryant 6, Star City 4
Trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the third, Bryant erupted for six runs then held off a Star City rally in the top of the fifth to close out the win.
The big innings commenced with J.T. Parker getting struck by a pitch with one out. He scored on Martin’s double. White, Burton and Thompson each beat out infield hits as a run scored. Morrow and Dreher followed with clutch RBI doubles and Burnett beat out an infield hit. Cade Parker grounded out but when Barrett drove in a run with a grounder to second, Bryant had reached the maximum six runs in the inning.
Star City took advantage of four walks in the top of the fifth to picked up three runs before a strikeout ended the game with a runner at third.
Bryant 8, LR Junior Deputy B 6
The game was tied 5-5 going into the seventh inning when Bryant surged for three runs in the top of the inning and held Junior Deputy to one. The game ended with the potential tying runs in scoring position for J.D.
Bryant’s decisive uprising in the top of the seventh was ignited by Greiner with a bunt hit. A one-out single from Hatman set the stage for Martin’s two-run double that snapped the tie. White drove in the final run with a groundout.
Junior Deputy put together a pair of hits to start the bottom of the inning including an RBI triple. Despite a one-out walk, Bryant forced the Little Rock team to strand runners at second and third.
Bryant built a 3-0 lead early. Hits by Martin, White and Morrow produced two runs in the first. In the second White walked and scored after Seelinger and Greiner grounded out.
Junior Deputy cut the lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the second then tied it in the bottom of the third.
Neither team scored in the fourth or the fifth then both brought in two in the sixth. For Bryant, White walked and scored on Burton’s triple. Morrow’s base hit made it 5-3.
Junior Deputy’s uprising came after two were out. A walk, a hit batsman and a pair of hits tied it up and there were runners at second and third when the final out was recorded.
