By Madison McEntire
A team of Bryant 13-year-olds utilized their deep pitching staff and stellar defense, got timely hitting to win four straight games on Sunday to capture the 14AA division of the third leg of the Wally Hall Tournament at Benton’s Holland Park on Sunday, May 4. Bryant went 1-1 in pool play on Saturday. The team left the bases loaded in three consecutive innings while losing 3-1 to the Sheridan Swarm in the first game before rallying to defeat Maumelle 7-1.
Team members are Logan Grant, Cade Dupree, Jacob Coppock, Logan Chambers, Logan Catton, Will McEntire, Jacob Shepard, Ryan Lessenberry, Brock Bariola, Coby Griener, Sawyer Holt, and Hunter Mullings. They are managed by Michael Catton with help from Phillip Dupree, Mark Coppock and Madison McEntire.
Bracket Play, Game #1
Bryant 6, Throwdown Baseball 5
In a tightly-played see-saw game, Bryant took a 2-0 lead in the first when Coppock led off with a triple to right and scored when the throw got away from the third baseman. Two outs later, Grant lined a single to center, stole second, advance to third on a wild pitch and came home on Dupree’s single to right-center.
Grant was the starting pitcher for Bryant and held them in check until the top of the third when the lead was trimmed to 2-1 on a double and a Bryant error. In the fifth, Throwdown Baseball tied the game with a double and a two-out hard grounder that took a bad hop and went over Dupree’s head at first.
Bryant quickly retook the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Catton led off with a single and advanced to second on Bariola’s single. After a sac bunt moved the runners up, Lessenberry doubled to left to bring in Catton but Bariola was forced to hold at third.
The lead was short-lived as Throwdown Baseball quickly got a single, two stolen bases and another single to knot the game at 3-3. A stolen base and wild pitch made it 4-3 before Grant struck out the side to end the inning.
Bryant tied the game again in the bottom of the sixth when Chambers walked with one out and scored on Grant’s double to deep left.
With the clock out, international rules went into effect so Throwdown Baseball began the seventh with a runner at second and he immediately stole third and scored on a wild pitch. Chambers, who had taken over for Grant, retired the next three to send the game to the bottom of the seventh.
Bryant began with Shepard on second and Catton bunted to the left side of the mound and beat the pitcher’s throw to put runners on the corners. After Catton stole second, Bariola struck out but Holt dropped down a bunt to bring in Shepard and he also beat it out to put runners on the corners. With the score tied, Holt stole second but Lessenberry fanned for the second out. McEntire stepped in and fouled the first pitch off his foot. After walking off the pain for a few seconds, he stepped back in and ripped a hard liner over the second baseman to bring in Catton, making Bryant a 6-5 winner.
Bracket Play, Game #2
Bryant 9, Paris Eagles 4
Coppock walked the first two batters of the game and was replaced by Greiner. Although the two inherited runners came around to score, Greiner would go on to shut Paris out for four innings.
Bryant used its bunting skills to collect single runs in the first, second and third innings. Coppock led off the first with a bunt single and scored later on Chambers’ single to left. In the second, Holt bunted in Shepard, who had led off the inning with a walk, and, in the third, Lessenberry started the inning with a single up the middle. He was bunted to second by McEntire and went to third when McEntire reached safely at first as the first baseman dropped the throw. After Coppock popped up, Greiner’s sac bunt scored Lessenberry to make the score 3-2.
Bryant blew the game open in the fourth with six runs collecting two hits, and reaching base twice on bunts when the pitcher tried unsuccessfully for the out at the plate. Bryant was also aided by two Eagles’ errors.
During the Bryant rally, Bariola slid safely into home on one of the bunts to the pitcher and injured his foot and had to be helped off the field. Chambers pitched the final inning and gave up two runs on a single and a double to go with an error to make the final score 9-4.
Semifinals
Bryant 9, Shelter Insurance 7
McEntire was on the hill for Bryant and allowed a run in the first on a walk, stolen base and throwing error.
Bryant took a 3-1 lead in the top of the second. The first run came after a walk to Grant, two misplayed fly balls, and Catton’s RBI double. McEntire was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in the third run. With one out, Coppock roped a shot to right. The right fielder made a diving catch and then threw Holt out at the plate when he was late tagging from third.
Shelter cut the lead to 3-2 in the second on a single, stolen base and throwing error then took a 4-3 lead in the fourth. The wind caused Chambers to drop a pop fly. After McEntire hit a batter and balked them to third, a throwing error plated two runs and two singles loaded the bases before a strikeout and force out to Chambers ended the inning.
Bryant took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on singles by Chambers, Grant, and Dupree and then a suicide squeeze bunt by Catton. Dupree relieved McEntire in the fifth and Shelter tied the game again with a leadoff double to left, followed by a single.
With time out, the sixth inning was played under international rules. Holt started on second and was awarded third when he tried to advance on Lessenberry’s sac bunt but was obstructed by an infielder. McEntire walked to load the bases and then Coppock lined out to center but Holt scored on the play and Lessenberry moved to third. McEntire went to second as Shelter Insurance attempted to appeal Holt leaving early from third. Greiner bunted down the first-base line and reached on a fielder’s choice with Lessenberry scoring on the play and McEntire moving to third. After Greiner stole second, Chambers hit a grounder to short to bring McEntire in and move Greiner to third. Grant singled him home and Bryant’s lead was 9-5.
In their final at-bat, Shelter Insurance plated two runs on a couple hits and a Bryant error and had the tying runs on base. But Dupree ended the game by inducing a grounder to Chambers at short for a force out then a ground ball to Grant at third.
Final
Bryant 6, SWBC Courage 4
After finishing the previous game, Dupree started for Bryant and held SWBC Courage scoreless through the first three innings. He was staked to an early 1-0 lead when Coppock led off the game with an infield single, stole second and came home on Grant’s grounder to left.
After two quick outs in the fourth, Dupree allowed a triple to deep center and a double to left to tie the game. Chambers came in to get the final out of the inning keeping the game tied 1-1.
With the score still 1-1 in the top of the sixth, it appeared that the toll of playing their fourth game of the day and third in a row had caught up with the Bryant players. After a lead-off single, two Bryant errors and a walk the score was 4-1 with two on and nobody out. The tide quickly turned on the next pitch as Shepard ran down a long fly to deep center and with the runners on the move the relay from Shepard to Grant to Greiner to Dupree doubled off both runners for a triple play to end the inning.
Bryant carried the momentum of Shepard’s great defensive play to the plate for a big offensive rally that produced five runs to forge a 6-4 lead. Coppock led off with a bunt single, Greiner walked and Chambers singled to left to load the bases. Grant was hit by a pitch and Dupree walked, each bringing in a run. After Shepard forced Chambers out at the plate, Catton reached (and Grant scored) when the pitcher dropped the ball on a grounder to the first baseman. With the bases still loaded, Holt fanned for the second out but Lessenberry came through with a two-strike single to left-center to give Bryant the lead.
Grant came in to pitch for Bryant to close out the game. After an easy out on a grounder to third, a walk put a runner on. Bryant got a 5-4 force for the second out but a pop single to center put two on. The next batter popped to short right field and Catton made a sprawling catch to end the game.
