McGEHEE — Though it’s small consolation, at least the Bryant 12-year-old Cal Ripken All-Stars (46/60) stayed in the State tournament longer than their rivals from Benton.But a day after ousting Benton on Saturday, Bryant suffered a tough 4-3 loss to DeWitt to end their bid for a State title.
The Bryant 12-year-old All Stars who play on the diamond with 46-foot pitching distance and 60-foot basepaths, coached by Sam Breeding, include Sebastian Arias, Dakota Besancon, Trey Breeding, Brandon Carter, Destin Davis, Tre Devis, Austin Green, Clifton Hampton, Andrew Kincaid, Blaine Knight, Hunter Lawhon and Jimbo Seale.
Bryant led 3-0 through four innings only to have DeWitt tie the game with a rally in the fifth then win it with two down in the bottom of the sixth, a strike away from getting to the seventh.A passed ball allowed the winning run to score from third.[more]
The inning had started with a walk and a single. Bryant got a force out at third but the runners moved up to second and third on a groundout to second.The count went to 2-2 on the next batter before the pitch that got away.
Bryant had taken a 2-0 lead in the third inning when Breeding blasted a home run after Hampton had reached on an error. Seale socked a double and Kincaid singled him to third but neither made it home.
In the fourth, however, Besancon drew a one-out walk, stole second, took third on Lawhon’s groundout and scored when Hampton’s grounder to short was booted, making it 3-0.
Besancon had started and worked three shutout innings. He worked around an error and a single in the first, striking out two and getting out of the inning on a tap to Seale at first.In the second, he struck out the side around a two-out walk then he worked a 1-2-3 third.
Kincaid relieved in the fourth and, after a lead-off single, his teammates turned a 6-4-3 doubleplay to take the starch out of a DeWitt uprising.
In the fifth, Kincaid retired the first two batters before the trouble began. A single, a double and walk loaded the bases for Jon Mark Horton, who tripled to clear them and tie the game.Breeding came on to get the last out, stranding the go-ahead run at third then worked the sixth.
Bryant was unable to get a runner aboard in the last two innings as DeWitt rallied.
