WHITE HALL — The Bryant 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars bounced back from their opening loss to White Hall to get another shot at the host team at the District Tournament. On Saturday, Bryant edged Hot Spring County, 5-4, then pounded Clark County 19-0 in the losers bracket final to advance to the championship round beginning Sunday at 2 p.m. With a win by Bryant in the first game, the two teams will play a winner-take-all final at 4:30.
Bryant, White Hall and Clark County have all qualified to advance to the State Tournament at Lonoke July 16.
The Bryant 15’s include Zach Cambron, Evan Castleberry, Hayden Daniel, Josh Davis, Evan Ethridge, Cody Gogus, Tyler Green, Riley Hall, Blain Jackson, Tyler Nelson, Cameron Price, Daniel Richards, Tryce Schalchlin, Devon Sears and Marcus Wilson. The team will be managed by Jimmy Parker with assistance from Tony Ethridge.[more]
Bryant 19, Clark County 0
Cambron, with fifth-inning help from Green, pitched a three-hit shutout and the Bryant offense broke loose after struggling in its first two games. Gogus blasted a grand slam to highlight Bryant’s game-busting eight-run second.
In four innings, Cambron struck out five without a walk. All three of Clark County’s hits were singles. Green struck out two during a 1-2-3 fifth.
Cambron pitched around a one-out single by Lance Golden in the first. In the bottom of the inning, Bryant initially benefited from some patience and the control trouble of Clark County starter Kyle Harvey.
Daniel, Nelson and Wilson drew walks to set the table for Schalchlin who delivered a two-run double. Another run scored when Gogus reached on an error then Cambron capped off the inning with a drive down the right-field line for a two-run triple to make it 5-0.
Harvey led off the second with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball but Cambron retired the next three to escape.
Bryant’s second began with a walk to Nelson. Wilson beat out a bunt for a hit then Schalchlin sliced a single to right to load the bags for Gogus. On a 1-2 delivery, Gogus planted one over the fence in left-center for the slam that made it 9-0.
Walks to Cambron on Davis followed before the first out of the inning. Sears singled in Cambron and advanced to second when the ball was misplayed in left which allowed Davis to score as well. Ethridge doubled and, after a pitching change, Wilson drove a two-run single to right-center to complete the onslaught.
Trailing 13-0, Clark County couldn’t muster a base-running in the top of the third. Bryant added on in the bottom of the inning. Gogus was hit by a pitch to start the frame then Cambron and Davis walked to load the bases. Price grounded into a force at the plate but Sears delivered his second RBI single.
Ethridge grounded into a force at the plate but Castleberry drew a walk and Green singled in a run to make it 16-0.
Golden singled to start Clark County’s fourth. He stole second and advanced to third on a groundout — the only time Clark County got a runner that far. But Cambron got Harvey to pop out and ended the inning with a strikeout.
Bryant’s last three runs in the bottom of the fourth came on walks to Hall and Price, an error and singles by Ethridge and Castleberry.
Bryant 5, Hot Spring County 4
Wilson snapped a 4-4 tie with an RBI single in the top of the sixth then Hall and Daniel combined to keep Hot Spring County quiet in the final two innings to nail down the victory.
Hall pitched 5 1/3 innings allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits. He walked four and struck out six. Daniel retired all four batters he faced and was on the mound when Dustin Warford, who led off the sixth with a single, was thrown out trying to steal third by Jackson, the Bryant catcher.
Hot Spring County struck for two runs in the first inning on a pair of walks, a sacrifice and a two-out double by Hunter Martin. Hall’s first strikeout end the inning.
Bryant scratched in the top of the second. Schalchlin singled and, an out later, Price reached on an error. Though Schalchlin was forced at third on a grounder to short by Davis, Hall helped himself with a clutch two-out RBI double.
After Hall fanned two more and caught a pop up in an easy second, Bryant took the lead in the top of the third. A one-out walk to Wilson provided the starting point. He swiped second and, with two out, Schalchlin was hit by a pitch. Cambron sliced a double to the gap in left-center to drive both home. He then scored on a single by Price to make it 4-2.
Bryant turned a doubleplay to get out of a two-on, one-out jam in the bottom of the third but Hot Spring County whittled a run off the lead in the fourth with the help of an error.
And a single and an error contributed to the tying run coming in during the bottom of the fifth.
In Bryant’s sixth, however, Daniel walked and stole second. Nelson beat out a bunt single then Wilson delivered the tiebreaker.
Warford singled to start the sixth and advanced on a passed ball. Martin grounded out to third then Daniel came on to pitch. Warford was thrown out trying to steal third and Daniel struck out Jake Golden to end the inning. He would go on to fan two more in the seventh before the game concluded on a groundout to Schalchlin at third.
