By TODD TRAUB
Leader sports editor
Bryant bumped Cabot from the 7A state tournament with a 7-5 victory on Saturday, adding postseason success to go with its regular-season victory over the Panthers at Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Hayden Lessenberry led the Hornets, going 2 for 2 with three RBI. He drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run in the third inning and hit an RBI single in the fifth.
Dillon Cross tripled in Bryant’s two-run second and Landon Pickett led off the third with a home run.
Cabot had a three-run third inning that came on four hits. Casey Vaught led off with a single and with two outs the Panthers strung together consecutive RBI singles by Tyler Carter, Brandon Surdam and Justin Goff to take a 3-2 lead they couldn’t hold.
The Panthers won their first-round tournament game in exciting fashion, beating Springdale Har-Ber when coach Jay Fitch sent Daniel Fox, who drew a two-out walk with the score tied 7-7, home on a seventh-inning single by Kason Kimbrell.
Ryan Logan held the lead in the bottom of the inning after starter Cole Nicholson, along with fellow seniors Carter and Surdam, had to leave early to make it to Little Rock for graduation ceremonies.
Carter doubled in Kimbrell to give Cabot a 7-6 lead in the sixth but Har-Ber’s Andrew Crook singled in a run to tie it in the bottom of the inning.
Cabot got 11 hits, with Surdam, Nicholson and Cole getting three in the fifth as the Panthers overcame a 6-3 deficit to tie it.
5A
Arkadelphia eliminated Sylvan Hills with a 16-6 victory at Rogers, putting together a six-run second inning behind consecutive two-run doubles from Rhett Rogers and Garrett Rucker.
Sylvan Hills scored four runs in the top of the second and got within 8-6 on Trey Sims’ two-run homer.
But Arkadelphia scored four in the bottom of the inning and four in the fifth to run-rule the Bears.
It was the first of two big victories by Arkadelphia over an area team. Arkadelphia pounded Beebe 11-1 on Friday.
