LONOKE — The Bryant 7-year-old All-Stars built a 9-2 lead then had to hold off a rally by the Benton 7/8 All-Stars but survived with a 10-8 win on Saturday evening at the Cal Ripken 8-and-under State Tournament.
The Bryant 7’s, coached by Chris Pringle, includes Blake Brower, Cannon Chalmers, Carson Dozier, Jake Elliott, Cooper Hatman, Lyndon Johnson, Hunter Markham, Reid Mitchell, Paxton Pringle, Max Rauth, Jaxon Riggs, Drew Tate-Lee and Jackson Trusty.
Bryant pounded out 20 hits including three each from Elliott, Mitchell and Hatman.
They started the game the same way they did in their first-round victory over Cabot, scoring the maximum of six runs in the very first frame. Elliott legged out an infield hit and stole second. Moments later, Brower drove him home with a single. Riggs’ knock sent Brower to third and, after Riggs stole second, Mitchell drove both home with a base hit.
Hatman kept the inning going with a single. He stole second and scored right behind Mitchell on a double to center by Markham. Dozier traded places with Markham, cracking an RBi double, then Johnson made it three two-baggers in a row and the score was 6-0.
Benton pushed a pair of runs home in the bottom of the first then it stayed 6-2 through three innings. In the fourth, however, Mitchell’s infield pop fell in for a hit. He stole second and sprinted home on Hatman’s double. Hatman eventually scored and Markham beat out a bunt for a hit. With one down, Hatman stole second then third before coming home on Johnson’s base hit.
Benton, again, trimmed a couple of runs off the 9-2 lead and the game went to the fifth with Bryant up by five runs. Consecutive hits by Trusty, Rauth, Pringle and Elliott made it 10-4 going into the bottom of the fifth.
Eight hits in the inning produced five runs for Benton and, with two down, they had the sixth run at third when a strikeout ended the game.
