SHERWOOD — The Bryant 11-year-old All-Stars closed out the championship of the Firecracker Invitational Classic on Sunday with one-sided wins over Little Rock Junior Deputy and Camden as they prepared for State Tournament play which begins this weekend.
After winning its first two games by a combined 22-2 on Saturday, Bryant beat Sunday’s foes by a combined 23-4. Their second win over Little Rock Junior Deputy ended 10-1. In the championship game, Bryant defeated Camden, 13-3.
Jerry East is the manager of the 11-year-old team with assistance from Rick Brown and Rusty Misenheimer. The team includes Landon Abernathy, Logan Allen, Drew Brown, Jake East, Jeffery Hastings, Dylan Hurt, Austin Kelley, Hayden Knowles, Garrett Misenheimer, Aaron Orender, Landon Smith and Diego Vargas.[more]
In the championship game, Bryant built a 5-0 lead in the first and never looked back. The Stars added a run in the second and, after Camden scored in the third, three in the fourth and four in the fourth made it a run-rule victory.
Camden scored two runs in the top of the fifth.
Knowles went the distance on the mound for Bryant allowing five hits, walking three and striking out three.
After the game began with a walk and a stolen base, Knowles picked off the runner at second.
Bryant’s home first began with a free pass to East and a stolen base. Allen’s sacrifice bunt was placed well enough for a hit then he, too, stole second before Hurt drew a walk to load the bases.
Infield hits by Misenheimer, Orender and Knowles followed and a pair of errors and a passed ball contributed to the scoring with Kelly and Brown drawing walks before the inning was over.
Knowles worked around a lead-off single in the second. Bryant’s second-inning run was scored by Allen, who led off the frame with a walk and a stolen base. Hurt doubled him in.
A single and a pair of two-out errors allowed Camden to score and it stayed 6-1 until the bottom of the fourth. Hurt’s second double started the three-run burst. He stole second and scored on a passed ball. With one out, Orender walked and swiped second ahead of a single by Knowles. Hastings followed with a single to left-center that was misplayed in the outfield as the lead grew to 9-1.
In the top of the fifth, a hit batsman and a pair of walks loaded the bases. A balk got the first run home then a single knocked in the second.
Bryant’s uprising in the bottom of the fifth commenced on a double by Brown. East singled then Allen plugged the left-center gap for a double. An out later, Misenheimer singled in a run and when Orender’s shot to second was misplayed, Misenheimer scored the final run.
In the win over Junior Deputy’s All-Stars, Bryant fell behind 1-0 on a hit batsman, a walk and a double. But East got out of the inning and shut out the Little Rock team the rest of the five innings allowing just three more hits. Junior Deputy couldn’t get another runner past second.
Bryant tied it in the bottom of the first when East tripled and scored on a squeeze bunt by Hurt.
In the second, Knowles, Kelly and Smith drew walks to load the bases. All three wound up scoring. Knowles and Kelly on passed balls and Smith on a squeeze bunt by Hastings.
East walked to start the third and, after he stole second, Allen singled him to third. He scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
Knowles, Kelly and Smith started the fourth with singles then Brown drew a walk to force in a run. Kelly scored on a passed ball but Smith was thrown out at the plate. Singles by Hastings and Abernathy and a groundout by Vargas made it 9-1.
The game-ending run in the top of the fifth was scored by Allen who had walked. Hurt was hit by a pitch and they pulled a double-steal to set up Misenheimer who singled to end it.
