by Rob on Apr 15, 2009 at 2:47 AM  By Rob Patrick
BRYANT, Ark. — The Bryant Hornets baseball team won its 15th game on Tuesday, a 4-3 squeaker against the Russellville Cyclones. Now, if you count back, you might not come up with that figure. But Bryant head coach Kirk Bock was notified on Tuesday that his junior varsity's game against the Bauxite Miners on March 9 was reported to the Arkansas Activities Association as a varsity game by the Miners. Thus the game counts as a varsity game for the Hornets. Before that became known, Bock, in his first year in Bryant, was seeking his 400th career victory when his team hosted Russellville. But with the addition of the Bauxite contest, a 12-7 Bryant win by the JV, Bock recorded his 401st victory as a high school coach. As it turns out, his 400th came on Thursday, April 9, against Van Buren, the school where he started his career and spent six years before taking over at Harrison. He coached the Goblins for nine years before coming to Bryant.
by Rob on Apr 15, 2009 at 12:47 AM  By Rob Patrick BRYANT, Ark. — Brennan Bullock will take one for the team. He's proved it nine times this season — by far the most of anyone on the team — including twice as part of crucial rallies for the Bryant Hornets on Tuesday, April 14. The Hornets had to come from behind to beat the Russellville Cyclones, 4-3, a win that, coupled with Cabot's 2-0 victory over North Little Rock thrust them into first place in the 7A-Central Conference with an 8-3 mark. North Little Rock remains even in the loss column at 6-3. Conway, which out-lasted Little Rock Central 16-11 on Tuesday, and Little Rock Catholic, which absorbed a 5-2 loss to Van Buren, are a game back at 6-4. Central (5-6), Cabot (4-5), Van Buren (4-5) and Russellville (1-10) complete the standings. Yes, Russellville is last. But the Cyclones have contributed to a recent trend in the conference in which second division teams have been upending first division teams to the point that, as you can see, there's a thin line between the two. Russellville recently stunned Little Rock Central in extra innings, 11-10. The wins by Cabot and Van Buren on Tuesday continued that trend while the Hornets avoided being one of the victims. They face a showdown with Conway on the road on Thursday. The Wampus Cats were rolling with five straight wins including one against North Little Rock before Central surprised them 5-4 on Saturday, April 11.
by Rob on Apr 14, 2009 at 9:18 PM BRYANT, Ark. — Senior Christen Kirchner needed just 67 pitches and one big swing to spark the Bryant Lady Hornets to a 3-0 win over the Russellville Lady Cyclones on Tuesday, April 14.  Kirchner shut out the Lady Cyclones on just one hit and faced just one over the minimum in going the distance in the pitcher's circle. And she provided all the runs she'd need with a two-run home run to dead center in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Lady Hornets improved to 15-6 overall and 7-1 to top the 7A-Central Conference, heading into a rematch with the only league team to beat them this season at Conway on Thursday.
by Rob on Apr 8, 2009 at 10:17 AM  BRYANT, Ark. — It was a long way from the 7-1 loss they suffered at Russellville, but the Bryant Hornets were still not quite able to overcome the Cyclones on the return match on Tuesday, April 7. On the strength of a pair of goals off of corner kicks in the first half, Russellville prevailed, 2-0, denying the Hornets the second 7A-Central Conference win that they’ve been desperately seeking. “The defense played pretty good,” commented head coach Jason Hay. “We didn’t do a very good job marking up on our corners in the first half but after that we shut them down. (Goal keeper) Devin Norris had a very good night. He must’ve had five or six saves.
by Rob on Apr 7, 2009 at 1:59 PM RUSSELLVILLE — Injuries continued to plague the Bryant Hornets track team as they competed in the Cyclone Relays on Friday, April 3.Senior Chris Brooks was unavailable and though Homer Coleman made his return, Daniel Hall continued to his rehab. Top scorer Tanner Tolbert was hampered as well. Tolbert still turned in Bryant’s top performance, finishing second in the long jump, clearing 21’ 8” as the Hornets scored 9.5 points to finish 11th in the 23-team field. The 4x100 meter relay team of Stanley Oxner, Tolbert, James Glasper and Kendrick Farr placed eighth with a time of 44.59. Also, Drew Persinger cleared 12’ 6” in the pole vault to tie for eighth. "We had a tough time of it,” commented Hornets coach Steve Oury. “We had some decent performances that just missed scoring, but we also had a few events I was hoping to pick up some points in, that we didn't get it done. “Tanner has been having some heel pain, so we didn't let him triple jump,” Oury added, “but he did a nice job in the long jump. We're hoping to get Chris Brooks back from an injury for the Conway meet. We need to get healthy and get some good workouts in. Hopefully we will have some guys break though and get in the money in the meets to come." The Hornets were set to run at the Wampus Cat Relays in Conway on Thursday, April 9.
by Rob on Mar 16, 2009 at 8:37 PM
 By Rob Patrick RUSSELLVILLE — Things got a little hairy at the end but the Bryant Lady Hornets, playing a game for the first time in two weeks, held on to edge the Russellville Lady Cyclones, 2-1, at Hickey Park on Monday, March 16. Pitchers Payton Jenkins and Christian Kircher had combined to shut out Russellville without a hit over the first six innings and Kirchner appeared to be closing it out, retiring the first two in the b ottom of the seventh on just four pitches. And with Russellville clean-up hitter Andrea Dixon at the plate, the Lady Hornets came within a strike of ending it only to have Dixon smack a 3-2 delivery into right field for her team's first hit. Kirchner, obviously a little flustered after having a couple of close two-strike pitches not go her way against Dixon, hit the next batter, Laura Brown. Kelsey White walked to load the bases then Megan Hale was hit by the very next delivery forcing in a run. Bryant head coach Lisa Stanfield came to the pitcher's circle and had a long talk with her senior pitcher and, when play resumed, her very next delivery was hit hard but right to Jessie Taylor at third. Taylor made the play and threw Lauren Guarino out at first to end the game.
by Rob on Mar 13, 2009 at 8:56 PM 
By Rob Patrick RUSSELLVILLE — Patience paid off early for the Bryant Hornets when they took on 7A-Central Conference rival Russellville on Friday, March 13. In fact, it paid a dividend of four runs without a hit over the first two innings when they waited out eight walks to go with two hit batsmen. And that would've been enough, as it turned out, since right-hander Ben Wells limited the Cyclones to just three hits while issuing just one walk and hitting a batter over six innings. Caleb Milam, who struck out the side around the only Bryant error in the seventh, finished up the three-hit shutout as the Hornets rolled to a 15-0 win, blowing the game up with eight runs in the top of the seventh. Bryant improves to 3-0 in conference play, tied with North Little Rock atop the standings. The Hornets are 4-1 overall as they set off for Van Buren on Saturday for a 1:30 league tilt. Hunter Mayall, Kaleb Jobe, Brady Butler and Jordan Taylor each had two hits for the Hornets before Friday's game was complete. Mayall, Butler, Wells and Taylor each drove in a pair of runs. Both of Wells' RBIs came on bases-loaded walks, two of the four free passes he was issued in the game. In all, the Hornets benefited from 14 walks, four hit batsmen and four Cyclone errors.
by Rob on Mar 13, 2009 at 10:03 AM The Bryant Hornets baseball team will make up its 7A-Central Conference game at Russellville — which was rained out Thursday — this afternoon at 4:30 at Hickey Park. The scheduled game against White Hall has been canceled. In addition, the Hornets' league game against Van Buren which was supposed to be played in Bryant on Saturday at 1, has been rescheduled for Van Buren at 1:30 tomorrow. The varsity will play first, followed by a JV contest.
For the Lady Hornets, the game re-scheduled for today against Van Buren has been postponed. It has been moved to April 9 when the Lady Hornets travel to Van Buren. The two teams will play a conference doubleheader with no junior varsity game. In addition, the Bootsie Gordon Memorial Tournament in Benton set for this weekend has been postponed. According to Lady Hornets coach Lisa Stanfield, the make-up date is April 18 when it will be played in combination with the JV tournament to be held that weekend.
by Rob on Mar 6, 2009 at 8:15 AM RUSSELLVILLE — Bryant High School soccer coach Jason Hay knew things would get tougher when his team started play in the 7A-Central Conference. And, sure enough, after a 5-0 start, the Hornets had suffered two losses — both close — as league play began. Still, they hadn't had one of those games where nothing went right.  Until Thursday, March 5. After the long trip to Russellville, the Hornets struggled with the Cyclones and absorbed a 7-1 loss. The Lady Hornets, meanwhile, suffered through their own adversity in a 2-0 setback that ended with them playing with just 10 players due to a pair of injuries and a red card. "They took it to us early," Hay said of Russellville's boys. The Cyclones scored three quick goals in the first 25 minutes of the game to take control. They led 4-0 at halftime. "We moved the ball some but their forwards are very fast," Hay said. "They have a very good touch. They were getting through our back line with their speed. Three of their first half goals came off headers from corner kicks. "I thought our kids played hard until the end, even down 6," he added. Aaron Prewitt put the Hornets on the board with a header in the second half. The teams return to action Tuesday, March 10, at Conway.
by Rob on Feb 11, 2009 at 12:22 AM  By Rob Patrick
Bryant Lady Hornets' head coach Blake Condley and most of his team know exactly what Matt Kordsmeier and his Russellville Lady Cyclones are going through this season. Because last year, it was them. The Lady Hornets can also stand as proof of what a difference a year can make. Last year, it was Bryant that went through the 7A-Central Conference without a win. This year, so far, the same plight has plagued Russellville and continued to do so as the Lady Hornets rolled to a 68-34 win at the Lady Cyclones' expense. That makes the 2008-09 Bryant Lady Hornets a dazzling 18-3 overall and 9-1 in the conference, bound for the State tournament and making a bid for a league championship. They'll continue the latter quest on Friday, Feb. 13, at Conway. Russellville drops to 4-17 and 0-9 going into Friday's home game against Van Buren.
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