Do-or-die rally keeps Bryant alive, sends Nederland home

By Rob Patrick

It was baseball legend Yogi Berra, of course, that said it first. In his usual dumb-as-a-fox deadpan, he declared: “It’s never over . . . until it’s over.”

Rarely is the obvious any more profound than that.

The Bryant 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars provided another example on Sunday night. With three outs left to their summer of baseball, trailing impressive East Texas champion Nederland, Texas, 6-2, Bryant slowly built a scintillating comeback that snatched victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat.[more]

The thrilling five-run rally was capped off by Tryce Schalchlin’s two-out RBI single, giving Bryant a 7-6 win and at least another day to play and dream of a World Series follow-up to their World Series championship as 13-year-olds last summer.

The odds of back-to-back World Series appearances, let alone championships, have to be astronomical but the dream for Bryant’s squad lives on.

The Bryant Stars were set to take on Mississippi champion McComb on Monday evening at 5 with the winner playing again at 7:30 against the loser of the Fort Smith-White Hall game in the winners bracket final which will be played at 2:30.

It’s down to those four teams.

Bryant had been limited to just three hits by Nederland’s sidewinding right-hander Jake Jannise on Sunday. But an error cracked the door a little to start the bottom of the seventh, allowing Trent Rivers to reach base. Evan Ethridge followed with a drive to right-center that was chased down by Nederland’s Justin Sperl.

It was an out that seemed to calm the Texans but when Josh Davis topped a pitch, dribbling it down the third baseline, then beat it out, hope flickered a little brighter for Bryant, especially with the top of the order coming up.

Hayden Daniel, who had relieved starter Marcus Wilson in the second after Nederland scored five times to take a 5-2 lead, allowing just one run on seven hits through the top of the seventh. Besides restoring order on the mound, he had been on base three times with a pair of walks and a ringing double.

So, there couldn’t have been a better time for him to be coming to the plate. And he came through with a shot to left for a single, loading the bases for Tyler Nelson.

No one for Bryant was more due that Nelson, who was 2 for 12 in the tournament to that point. He worked the count to 2-1 then lashed a gapper to right-center, clearing the bases to make it 6-5. He wound at third with a triple, representing the tying tally.

Jannise, who had frustrated Bryant through six innings, had to give way to right-hander Korbin Stampley at that point. Wilson came to the plate and, on Stampley’s second pitch launched a long drive to left for a sacrifice fly that tied the game.

The Bryant fans and players were ecstatic.

But, with two down and the bases empty, it looked like the game might be heading to extra innings. And so often it happens that a team that fights back to tie a game then doesn’t go ahead and gain the lead, winds up losing it later having expended so much on the tying rally.

So it was huge that Daniel Richards drew a walk and Tyler Green ripped a single to center. That brought Schalchlin to the plate. Down 1-2 in the count — Nederland was within a strike of sending it to extra innings — Schalchlin cracked a hump-back liner to center that fell in front of the center fielder. Richards, running at the crack of the bat, scored easily to win the game.

It was the 12th game of the tournament and, for the 12th time, the team that scored first won the game. Though, obviously, it looked like it might be the exception for most of the game.

Bryant put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first after Wilson pitching a dominating top half of the frame. Daniel walked to open the inning and swiped second. After Nelson flew out to left, Wilson legged out an infield single. With Daniel at third, Wilson swiped second and, moments later, a passed ball allowed the first run. And when Richard’s grounder to short drew a wild throw to first, Wilson raced home to make it 2-0.

Bryant might’ve gotten more but Tyler Green hit a liner that was stabbed by Raines at short. He was able to double up Richards to end the inning.

Sparked by Stampley and Carson Raines, who each had three hits in the game, Nederland put togther a go-ahead outburst in the top of the second. Stampley tied into one of Wilson’s fastballs on a 1-2 pitch and drilled one to the fence in left-center for a triple. Raines singled him in to make it 2-1.

After Raines stole second, a groundout got him to third and a wild pitch allowed him to score the tying run as Jannice drew a walk.

Trying to sacrifice, Michael Shaw bunted to Wilson who fielded it and fired a throw to second for a force out. Shaw stole second but Wilson was a strike away from getting out of the jam when he issued a walk to Zach Taylor. That brought up Sperl at the top of the order. He looped a single to left and Nederland had a lead.

Sperl stole second and Seth Barrow split the right-center gap for a two-run double, making it 5-2.

Daniel relieved at that point and got the final out with a grounder to Evan Ethridge at second.

Jannice struck out two in the bottom of the second then walked Ethridge but he was thrown out trying to steal to end the inning.

Nederland made a bid to blow the game up in the top of the third. Singles by Stampley and Raines opened the inning then Sampere walked to load the bases with no one out. But Daniel struck out Jannise. An odd play followed. With two strikes on Shaw, he squared as if he were going to sacrifice the run in only to miss as Stampley headed down the line from third. The low delivery from Daniel was in the dirt but dug out by catcher Blain Jackson.

Confusion entered in when Shaw started to run to first as Jackson dug out the pitch. But with first base occupied, he couldn’t take the base. Jackson alertly made a play on Stampley off third and they got him in a rundown.

Daniel thus wriggled off the hook and proceeded to shut Nederland out until the top of the seventh. He retired the first two in the seventh but then Raines lined one to left-center for a triple. Sampere singled him home to make it 6-2.

Nederland made a bid to keep the inning going when Jannise singled to put two on with two out. But Vaughn Campbell bounced into a force out to end the inning and begin the decisive home seventh.

Bryant had threatened to trim the lead in the third when Jackson was hit by a pitch and Daniel walked. They moved to second and third, respectively, on a wild pitch but were stranded there as Jannice escaped.

In the fifth, Ethridge singled and, with one out, Daniel doubled into the left-field corner. But Nelson ripped a liner that Raines grabbed at short, catching Daniel tryng to break for third.

Jannice worked around a lead-off walk to Wilson in the sixth. He was sacrificed to second by Richard but stranded there. In the sixth, the right-hander issued a lead-off walk to Wilson but he was stranded.