OCALA, Fla. — The Bryant All-Stars may have drawn the two toughest teams in their pool right off the bat at the 2013 Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series. After suffering a 14-2 loss to Bear, Del., on Saturday, Bryant’s Stars, who won the Southwest Regional championship, ran into the host team of the Series, Ocala, Fla., in Sunday and absorbed a 15-3 setback.
Bryant will seek the win column again on Monday at 7 p.m. (CDT), against Meridian, Idaho, then wrap up pool play against Bismarck, S.D., on Wednesday at 7.
The team, coached by Greg Riggs, includes Aiden Adams, Kannon Allison, Tyler Bates, Clay Curtis, River Gregory, Will Hathcote, Cameron McDonald, Trey Miller, Justin Orender, Ryan Riggs, Austin Schroeder, Blaine Sears, Brandon Thomisee and Josh Turner.
McDonald, Turner, Riggs and Gregory had Bryant’s hits on Sunday.
Despite lead-off walks to Schroeder and McDonald in the first, Bryant was unable to get on the board. In the bottom of the inning, Ocala grabbed a 5-0 lead.
Bryant got on the board in the second. Sears walked and was forced at second on Riggs’ bunt. A passed ball allowed Riggs to over up and, after Hathcote walked, Adams hit a tapper in front of the plate that allowed the runners to move to second and third as the play was made at first. A walk to Curtis loaded the bases then a passed ball allowed Riggs to score, making it 5-1.
The All-Stars would score in each of the next two innings but they were putting up straight numbers while Ocala posted crooked ones. The Florida team scored four more times in the bottom of the second to make it 9-1.
Bryant countered with an uprising that began with a single by McDonald. With one out, Turner belted a single to right and, after a wild pitch moved them up, Riggs came through with a two-out single on the infield to plate McDonald.
Ocala, however, countered with a six-run burst in the bottom half of the frame. Bryant added a run in the top of the fourth but it wasn’t enough to keep the game going. Gregory lined a single to left to ignite the uprising. With one out, Schroeder walked and McDonald was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Allison, who drew a walk to force in a run.
But that’s all the Stars could get as Ocala recorded the final two outs to close out the win.
