Photos courtesy of Paul Dotson
HUGO, Okla. — The all-star teams from Bryant and Meredian, Miss., kept trading licks Monday night in the championship round of the 2016 Babe Ruth Southwest Regional Tournament. Bryant took a lead then Meredian rallied. Bryant came back then Meredian answered.
In the end, it was the Mississippi champions that wound up holding on for a 6-5 victory in the rollercoaster ballgame, forcing an “if” game, a winner-take-all final with a trip to the Babe Ruth 13U World Series in Ottumwa, Iowa, on the line. The game will be played today at 2 p.m.
It was the first loss of the post-season for Bryant, which had defeated Meredian, 14-4, in the winners’ bracket final. Meredian got back to the championship round by ousting South Brazoria, Texas in the losers’ bracket final.
Bryant’s team, coached by Greg Riggs with assistance from Matt Orender and Scott Allison, includes Kannon Allison, Dakota Clay, Joey Jilek, Cooper Kinzler, Cameron McDonald, Dayton Medlock, Justin Orender, Alec Purdom, Ryan Riggs, Blaine Sears, Brandon Thomisee and Joshua Turner.
As the visiting team, the Bryant Stars jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Riggs got things going with a one-out walk then Clay drilled a double to center bringing him around to score. A walk to Jilek then a pair of passed balls got the second run in as Turner drew a free pass.
Clay started on the mound for Bryant and whisked through the bottom of the first around a two-out single. Allison walked with one down in the top of the second but was stranded.
Meredian’s first rally came in the home second, scoring four times on five hits. In turn, Bryant made noise in the top of the third but couldn’t dent the plate. Clay singled, Turner drew a two-out walk but McDonald grounded into a force at second.
A double and a hit batsman had Meredian in position to add on but on a fly into shallow right that Sears, the Bryant second baseman, roamed out to haul in, the lead runner took off for third and was doubled up. A walk followed but Clay escaped by inducing a pop up that he caught to end the inning.
And it was Bryant’s turn to rally. Orender drew a walk to start the fourth, hustling to second on Allison’s grounder to first. Purdom pounded a sharp single to left to put runners at the corners and Sears picked up an RBI with a grounder to short that resulted in a force on Purdom at second.
A walk to Riggs extended the inning. Clay beat out an infield hit on a grounder to third and the bases were loaded for Jilek who cracked an RBI single ot left to tie the game 4-4. Turner drew a walk and Riggs trotted home with the go-ahead tally.
Meredian managed an infield hit in the fourth but nothing more.
Bryant’s fifth started with a single by Orender and a walk to Allison. They moved up to second and third on a passed ball but were stranded.
In the bottom of the fifth, a hit batsman was erased when he was thrown out trying to steal second. A walk and a double, however, put two in scoring position. A pop to Turner at short put Bryant an out away from escaping the threat with the lead but another double plated both runs and gave Meredian the 6-5 edge.
Clay singled to start the sixth but the next six Bryant batters were retired in succession as Mississippi prevailed.
