Photos courtesy of Crissy McEntire
By Madison McEntire
Coby Greiner (00) relays to first after getting a force at second. (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
PINE BLUFF — The Bryant 14-year-old All-Stars concluded their play in the 2015 Babe Ruth World Series on Thursday, Aug. 20, with a 7-1 setback against the Pacific Southwest champions from Tri-Valley, Calif. The game began the previous day but was suspended due to rain with one out in the top of the sixth.
The team members are Jacob Coppock, Logan Grant, Logan Chambers, Cade Dupree, Coby Greiner, Ryan Taylor, Brock Bariola, Logan Catton, Will McEntire, Sawyer Holt, Ryan Lessenberry, Cameron Tipton, Elijah King and Clift Chaffin. They are managed by Michael Catton with help from assistant coaches Phillip Dupree and Madison McEntire.
Coppock started the game with a bunt single to the pitcher and went to second on Chambers’ groundout to first. Grant bounced a single back up the box to score Coppock giving Bryant a quick 1-0 lead. After Grant stole second, he went to third on Dupree’s groundball to the shortstop. Taylor grounded to the second and appeared to beat the throw to first but the umpire called him out, depriving Bryant of a second run.
Will McEntire (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
Dupree was Bryant’s starting pitcher and allowed a leadoff grounder to left for a single. On a hit-and-run, Tri-Valley’s next hitter grounded out to shortstop. Bryant’s lead then evaporated on the next pitch when the three-hole hitter slammed a long home run to right-center. After a single in the hole to Grant at short, a 6-4-3 doubleplay ended the inning.
In the top of the second, Greiner drew a leadoff walk. Catton popped to second for the first out. Holt then grounded to the shortstop who forced Greiner at second. But the relay to first was off-line and allowed Holt to reach second base. Chaffin ended the inning with a ground ball to the second baseman.
Tri-Valley broke the game open with four runs in the second. The rally started with a double down the leftfield line and a single to center to bring in a run as the batter took second on the throw. Holt dropped a high pop fly to put two runners on and an error by Greiner at shortstop allowed the lead runner to score from second and put runners at the corners.
The Tri-Valley 10-hole hitter then singled in the hole to left to make the score 5-1. After a wild pitch moved the runners up, Dupree snagged a come-backer and held the runners before getting the out at first. The next batter bounced out to Holt at third with the runners holding their bases.
Dupree then issued a four-pitch walk and was moved to third to replace Holt and McEntire took over on the mound. McEntire struggled with his first batter, walking in a fun with four straight high pitches but recovered to strike out the next batter to end the inning. Bryant trailed 6-1.
Jacob Coppock (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
King led off the third with a walk on a 3-2 pitch. Coppock flied to right for the first out and then Chambers lined hard to the shortstop and King was doubled off for the third out.
McEntire issued a free pass to start the bottom of the third. The runner advanced to second on a throwing error on Coppock’s pickoff attempt. After a foul pop to Dupree at first, McEntire made a pickoff attempt to second but the runner had broken for third and reached safely.
A soft fly fell in left-center to make the score 7-1. After another fly dropped in center for a single, McEntire was helped out with a grounder to Greiner at shortstop who stepped on the bag and relayed to Dupree for an inning-ending double play.
Grant started the fourth with a single to left but got no further than first base because Dupree and Lessenberry (hitting for Taylor) struck out and Greiner grounded out to third.
In the top of the fourth, McEntire retired the first two batters on a pop to first and a fly to Coppock in center. The next batter also lofted a long fly ball to center but Coppock misjudged it and the batter ended up on second with a double. McEntire worked around the miscue, however, by getting a grounder to Greiner at shortstop.
Ryan Taylor backs up as Elijah King throws back to the infield. (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
Catton started the fifth with a groundout to the shortstop and McEntire grounded to second for the second out. After Chaffin walked, Bariola lined softly to the shortstop to end the inning.
McEntire issued a walk to start the bottom of the fifth and after a pop to Greiner at shortstop, the Tri-Valley seven-hole hitter lined to Catton at first who stepped on the bag to double up the baserunner.
Coppock fanned to start the top of the sixth and then Chambers reached on an error by the Tri-Valley shortstop. With a 3-1 count on Grant, the dark skies finally opened up and the game was delayed by rain and eventually postponed until the following day at 1 p.m.
When play resumed, Grant took ball four from the new Tri-Valley pitcher to put two on. After Dupree flied out to right, Chambers was picked off second with the count 3-2 on Lessenberry.
McEntire returned to the mound for Tri-Valley’s final at-bat and set the side down in order. After a pop to Dupree at third and a grounder to Greiner at short, the Tri-Valley 10-hole hitter smashed a ball back up the middle that went off McEntire’s glove and was barehanded by Greiner who fired to first to nip the runner for the final out.
Sawyer Holt (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
In Bryant’s last at-bat, Lessenberry singled to center on the first pitch. Greiner lined hard right at the left fielder who made a good sliding catch for the first out. Catton lined a ball to left but Lessenberry held up to see if the ball was caught and was forced at second by the left fielder. After a wild pitch moved Catton to second, McEntire struck out swinging at a pitch in the dirt and was retired at first by the Tri-Valley catcher to end the game.
Cade Dupree takes a throw at third as a Tri-Valley player slides in. (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
Ryan Lessenberry (Photo courtesy of Crissy McEntire)
