Photos courtesy of Debra Catton
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — The Bryant All-Stars, champions of the Southwest Regional, broke out to a 5-0 lead going into the bottom of the third inning on Sunday at the 2016 Cal Ripken 10U World Series but the host team Palm Beach Gardens rallied for a 9-5 win.
Now 0-2 in pool play so far, Bryant will try to break into the win column on Monday evening with a game against Norwalk, Conn., the champion of the New England Regional, at 6:30 p.m. (CDT).
Each of the teams in the two five-team pools will advance to bracket play, which will begin Wednesday, Aug. 10. Pool play will determine seeding.
Bryant wraps up pool play on Tuesday against Mineral Area, Mo., champion of the Midwest Plains Regional.
Bryant’s team, coached by Jeremy Stovall with assistance from Michael Brower and Michael Catton, includes Garrison Blacklaw, Brady Brower, Reid Catton, Clay Crawford, Gage Horn, Grant Johnson Gideon Motes, Justen Myles, Hank Penfield, Karter Ratliff, Caden Stovall and Cason Trickey.
Stovall and Catton each had two hits for Bryant with Reid Catton driving in two runs. Blacklaw and Motes each had a hit and an RBI.
A run in the first gave the Bryant Stars the early advantage. Walks to Penfield, Johnson and Trickey loaded the bases then Blacklaw was plunked by a pitch to force in the run.
But Palm Beach Gardens’ starter Dawson Thrush settled down at that point and escaped further damage.
Motes started on the mound for Bryant and, with help from his defense, set down PBG 1-2-3 in the home first.
In turn, Bryant made some more noise in the second but left the bases loaded. Motes and Myles walked before Stovall singles. Penfield grounded into a force at the plate then a strikeout ended the frame.
Motes allowed a single to Jackson Miller and a double to Bryce Jackson to start the home second but then fanned the next two batters and kept the Florida team off the board with a bouncer to Penfield at short.
Trickey singled to start a four-run third. Blacklaw got a bunt down and beat it out for a hit then Horn drew a free pass to fill the sacks. Catton drilled a double to left to drive in two then Motes picked up an RBI with a grounder to short.
A two-run uprising in the bottom of the inning started Palm Beach Gardens’ comeback. A two-run single by Blake Mathews with two down made it 5-2 before Motes got Miller to fly to Stovall in left to send it to the fourth.
Johnson singled and, with two down, Trickey reached on an error but both were stranded. And, in the bottom of the inning, Palm Beach Gardens’ pushed across four runs to take the lead. Three hits and two errors played into the scoring.
Down by a run, Bryant made a bid to answer in the fifth but singles by Catton and Motes, along with a sacrifice by Brower, went for naught.
Horn had relieved Motes in the fourth then another error plagued Bryant and, despite another pitching change to Blacklaw, Palm Beach Gardens surged with three more runs to make it 9-5.
Stovall led off the top of the sixth with a single but Palm Beach Gardens turned a doubleplay to take the steam out of Bryant’s hopes for a rally.
2016 CAL RIPKEN 10U WORLD SERIES
At Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
American Division
Poughkeepsie, NY (Middle Atlantic)
Mineral Area, Mo. (Midwest Plains)
Bryant, Ark. (Southwest)
Norwalk, Conn. (New England)
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (host)
National Division
Willamette Valley, Ore. (Pacific Northwest)
South Bend, Ind. (Ohio Valley)
Glen Allen, Va. (Southeast)
Honolulu, Hawaii (Pacific Southwest)
Longwood, Fla. (Florida State champion)
Thursday, Aug. 4
Game 1 — South Bend, Ind. 15, Willamette Valley, Ore. 5
Game 2 — Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 13, Bryant, Ark. 1
Game 3 — Glen Allen, Va., 9, Longwood, Fla., 5
Game 4 — Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 13, Mineral Area, Mo., 1
Saturday, Aug. 6
Game 5 — Glen Allen, Va. 8, Honolulu, Hawaii 2
Game 6 — Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 14, Norwalk, Conn. 3
Game 7 — Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. 9, Bryant, Ark. 5
Game 8 — Longwood, Fla., vs. South Bend, Ind., 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 7
Game 9 — South Bend, Ind., vs. Honolulu, Hawaii, 12:30 p.m.
Game 10 — Mineral Area, Mo., vs. Norwalk, Conn., 1 p.m.
Game 11 — Poughkeepsie, N.Y., vs. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 2:30 p.m.
Game 12 — Willamette Valley, Ore., vs. Longwood, Fla., 3 p.m.
Monday, Aug. 8
Game 13 — Poughkeepsie, N.Y., vs. Mineral Area, Mo., 5 p.m.
Game 14 — Willamette Valley, Ore., vs. Glen Allen, Va., 5:30 p.m.
Game 15 — Longwood, Fla., vs. Honolulu, Hawaii, 7 p.m.
Game 16 — Norwalk, Conn., vs. Bryant, Ark., 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Aug. 9
Game 17 — Honolulu, Hawaii vs. Willamette Valley, Ore., 5 p.m.
Game 18 — Glen Allen, Va., vs. South Bend, Ind., 5:30 p.m.
Game 19 — Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., vs. Norwalk, Conn., 7 p.m.
Game 20 — Bryant, Ark., vs. Mineral Area, Mo., 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Aug. 10
Bracket play
