KITSAP COUNTY, Wash. — Aaron Orender had two more hits and Garrett Misenheimer and Jake East each[more] doubled in a pair of runs to lead the Bryant 13-year-old All-Stars to an 8-1 win over Meridian, Idaho, at the Babe Ruth World Series today.
Dylan Hurt and East combined to limit the Pacific Northwest Regional champions to four hits as Bryant improved to 2-0 in pool play. The team will have Friday off then return to action on Saturday at 1 p.m., against Westfield, Mass. Bryant completes pool play on Sunday against Waite Park, Minn., at 10 a.m.
The top three teams from both of the five-team pools will advance to bracket play starting on Monday.
The Bryant team is managed by Jerry East with assistance from Rick Brown and Randy Kelly. Players include Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Cameron Coleman, East, Jeffery Hastings, Hurt, Austin Kelly, Hayden Knowles, Misenheimer, Orender, Kyle Sahr, Alex Shurtleff, Diego Vargas.
Orender, who had two hits in Bryant’s 9-2 win over the host team on Wednesday night, was named the Player of the game for Bryant. He scored both times he reached against today’s contest, each time as part of a four-run inning. Bryant grabbed the lead with four in the second then put the game away with a four-run sixth.
Hurt pitched into the fourth inning, allowing a run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. East worked 3 2/3 innings allowing one hit, walking one and fanning four.
Meridian starter Drake Simons issued walks to Hurt and Shurtleff in the first but a doubleplay bailed him out. After pitched around a hit batsman by picking him off first in the bottom of the inning, Bryant’s four-run second began with a one-out singles by Hastings and Orender. Allen walked to load the bases and, with two out, East ripped his two-run double. Two more scored on a single by Hurt.
In the home half, Phoenix Hanneman cracked Meridian’s first hit but, after taking second on a wild pitch, he was picked off.
Despite a walk to Kelly, a sacrifice by Hastings and a single by Orender, Bryant was prevented from adding to the lead in the top of the third. In turn, Meridian mustered its loan run. Brendan Boily was hit by a pitch and, with two down, Simons hit a double to left that Coleman nearly hauled in. Boily scored.
In the fourth, Jack Borton singled and Gabe Peralta walked with one out. East relieved at that point and struck out Boily. Jacob Harberger flied out to keep it 4-1.
Shurtleff walked and Kelly ripped a single that was misplayed in the outfield, allowing him to go to second as the top of the fifth unfolded. But, in between, Meridian turned a doubleplay.
But Bryant was able to cash in again as the sixth unfolded. Orender reached on an error to start the uprising. Allen sacrificed him to second. A wild pitch got Orender to third and he scored on a double by Coleman. East reached on an error and, with two down, Shurtleff doubled in a run. That set up Misenheimer’s two-run double that made it 8-1.
Hollingsworth singled for Meridian to start the bottom of the sixth but it came to nothing.
In the seventh, Drew Brown cracked a two-out single but was stranded. East closed out the win with a 1-2-3 seventh as he wound up retiring the last six batters in a row and 10 of the 12 batters he faced.
