CABOT — A district tournament didn’t materialize the Cal Ripken 9-and-under teams so the Bryant 9’s[more] and several other teams competed in a tournament in Cabot over the weekend. Bryant swept all four games including a 13-11 win over Benton for the championship.
The 9-year-old All-Stars are Aidan Adams, Tyler Bates, Dakota Clay, Cooper Davis, Noah Davis, Peyton Dillon, Will Hathcoate, Cameron McDonald, Justin Orender, Ryan Riggs, Austin Schroeder, Lawson Speer, Garrett Wilson. They are managed by Matt Orender. He’s assisted by Jeff Clay and Paul Speer.
Bryant opened the tourney with an 18-1 win over Little Rock Junior Deputy’s All-Stars. A 17-2 win over Benton followed then a 13-0 win over Cabot before the championship rematch.
The State Tournament for 9-year-old team starts June 29 at Lake Village. The Southwest Regional will be held at Vancleave, Miss., starting July 20.
Bryant 13, Benton 11
It looked like the two teams might be headed for the winner-take-all “if” game as Benton built an 11-5 lead. But, in the bottom of the final frame, Bryant scored eight times to pull out the victory, capped by Schroeder’s two-run double.
The comeback started with walks to Clay and McDonald. Orender came through with a hit and, after Cooper Davis was hit by a pitch, Noah Davis walked. Hits by Speer, Wilson and Dillon set the stage for Schroeder’s game-winner.
Benton had struck for a four-run lead in the first inning. Bryant countered with a run in the bottom of the inning when Speer and Dillon walked.
Four more scored in the top of the second to make it 8-1 but Bryant whittled three runs off the margin in the home half. Clay and McDonald had singled, Orender walked and, with one out Noah Davis cracked a double.
With Wilson, on in relief, shutting Benton out over the next two innings, Bryant was only able to trim one more off the margin. In the fourth, Riggs walked but was forced at second on a grounder to short by Noah Davis. A walk to Wilson and a hit by Hathcoate produced the run.
Benton proceeded to make it tougher on Bryant’s comeback hopes with a three-run top of the fifth but Bryant overcame in anyway.
Bryant 13, Cabot 0
Dillon and Adams combined on a three-hit shutout over four innings. Adams struck out the last four batters of the game.
Bryant scored in each of the four frames starting with two runs in the first. Wilson singled, Dillon walked and Schroeder singled both home.
A walk to Adams started the second. Hathcoate cracked a double. Speer, Dillon and Schroeder also contributed hits in the inning as the lead grew to 6-0.
Noah Davis and Speer each scored in the third on hits by Clay and Orender.
Cooper Davis slugged a solo homer in the fourth and, after Bates, Adams and Hathcoate each singled to produce a run, Noah Davis put the game out of reach with a round-trip blast.
Bryant 17, Benton 2
As Noah Davis and Wilson shut out Benton over the first three innings, Bryant amassed a 17-0 lead. Benton got on the board in the top of the fourth.
An eight-run first had Bryant well on its way to victory. A two-run homer by Speer and a triple by Clay highlighted the inning. The blast came on the heels of a walk to Noah Davis. Clay’s bolt drove in Wilson and Dillon who had each walked.
Bates beat out an infield hit, Orender walked and Cooper Davis was hit by a pitch. A walk to Noah Davis and a wild pitch made it 8-0 as Bryant reached the run limit for the inning.
In the second, Speer and Wilson singled. After Dillon walked, Schroeder picked up an RBI with a groundout. Bates singled then walks to Orender and Cooper Davis set up Noah Davis’ single and a two-run double by Speer to make it 15-0.
Hathcoate was plunked by a pitch to start the third then Schroeder unloaded on the next pitch for a two-run blast.
Noah Davis allowed a walk in the first and another in the second then Wilson worked a 1-2-3 third. Benton put together three hits against Hathcoate in the fourth.
Bryant 18, Little Rock Junior Deputy 1
Junior Deputy scored a run on a walk, a single and a fielder’s choice in the top of the first then managed just one hit the rest of the way against Clay and Adams.
Bryant reached the maximum run total in the first and the third, adding two in the second.
Wilson singled in a run early in the first then capped it with a two-run double. Schroeder, Bates and Orender had hits as well to take advantage of four walks and a hit batsman.
In the second, Clay singled and Bates tripled and scored to make it 10-1.
The third-inning uprising included four more walks and another pair of hit batters. Bates and Riggs had hits, Orender contributed a double.
