MADISONVILLE, La. — Because of rain and wet conditions, the Bryant All-Stars completed their[more] run at the Cal Ripken 8-year-old Southwest Regional Tournament with a marathon day of games.
After defeating the Madisonville, La., Legends, 15-5, on Sunday, the team came out in bracket play on Monday and edged McGehee, 2-1, then ousted Twin Rivers, La., 6-1, to reach the semifinals against Jonesboro, Ark. But that’s where their run concluded as Jonesboro prevailed 6-4.
Bryant team members for the 8-year-old team include Luke Bessire, Dakota Clay, Cooper Davis, Noah Davis, Peyton Dillon, Will Hathcote, Jagger Littleton, Justin Orender, Brett Pennington, Austin Schroeder, Lawson Speer, Josh Turner and Garret Wilson. Manager Matt Orender gets assistance from Patrick Schroeder and Paul Speer.
Bryant’s 8-and-under team coached by Greg Riggs also reached the semifinals of the tourney. In bracket play, the team edged Dumas, 3-2, then knocked off Mississippi state champion Orange Grove, 10-3, before running into Benton, which ended the Bryant 8U run with a 7-2 setback.
The 8U team includes Kannon Allison, Tyler Bates, Clay Curtis, Tyler Edmonson, Cole Ferguson, Easton Dinwiddie, Christian Knight, Cameron McDonald, Cooper Kinzler, Ryan Riggs, Blaine Sears and Cole Somer. Riggs’ assistants are Scott Allison and Scott Curtis.
No details have been provided as of yet for the 8U team.
Jonesboro 6, Bryant 4
Jonesboro broke out to a 5-0 lead with two runs in the first and three in the third but Bryant got going in the fourth. Speer singled and was forced at second on Noah Davis’ grounder. Littleton and Cooper Davis followed with hits then, after Littleton was forced at third on a grounder by Dillon, Clay, Wilson and Pennington rapped consecutive singles to make it 5-4.
Bryant had the potential tying and lead runs on bases when the final out was made.
The Bryant defense held Jonesboro in the bottom of the inning and, in the fifth, Schroeder opened with a single. With one out, Hathcote bounced into a force at second but Speer singled and so did Noah Davis, loading the bases. But Jonesboro escaped the threat and, in the bottom of the fifth, added another run.
Bryant’s sixth included a one-out single by Dillon but, with two out, he was forced at second on a grounder by Wilson to end the game.
Bryant 6, Twin Rivers, La. 1
The Bryant defense was stellar in allowing only a solo run to score in the first inning. Twin Rivers threatened in the second but had a runner thrown out at the plate along the way.
After that the Louisiana team only had one other baserunner.
Bryant took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Noah Davis and Littleton set the table with opening singles and Cooper Davis cleared it with a triple. Clay singled him in for the third run.
It stayed 3-1 until the top of the fourth when Clay got things started again with a single. Wilson doubled and, with one out, Turner smacked a double to drive them home. A two-out single by Orender brought Turner around to set the final score.
Bryant 2, McGehee 1
In a defensive battle, Bryant shut out McGehee until the fourth. By then, the Stars had scored their two runs, one in the second, the other in the third.
In the second, Clay singled with one out and Wilson and Pennington bunted for hits to load the bases. Turner’s plated Clay.
In the third, Speer tripled with one home and was squeezed home on a bunt by Noah Davis.
Going into the fourth, McGehee had managed just three baserunners and two of those were retired on the bases. Bryant retired the first two in the fourth as well but then a single and a pair of doubles produced the McGehee run and put the potential tying and lead runs in scoring position. But a tap to the pitcher resulted in the final out of the inning and, in the fifth, Bryant set McGehee down in order to close out the win.
Bryant 15, Madisonville, La., Legends 5
Bryant scored the maximum of six runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. Noah Davis singled and stole second then Littleton cracked a base hit. Cooper Davis doubled and, with one out, Clay, Wilson, Pennington, Turner and Schroeder knocked consecutive singles.
Madisonville cut the lead in half with three in the top of the second only to have Bryant scored three of its own in the bottom half.
Hathcote started Bryant’s inning with a one-out single to right. Speer and Noah Davis followed with doubles before Cooper Davis capped the inning with a single to left-center.
After Madisonville eked out a run in the top of the third, Bryant blew the game open in the home half of the frame. Clay doubled and, with one out, Pennington singled. Turner blasted a double and Schroeder singled to center. A double by Orender and a single by Hathcote set up Noah Davis’ base hit which completed the six-run outburst, making it 15-4.
When the Legends only scored once in the top of the fourth, the game was out of reach and over.
