For the second time this season, Bryant had more than enough to topple Little Rock Catholic.
The Hornets remained undefeated in 6A-Central Conference baseball play by beating the Rockets 8-2 on Wednesday at Lamar Porter Field in Little Rock.
The game was closely contested through six innings, but a five-run seventh enabled Bryant (11-3, 8-0) to pull away.
The Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first two innings following a pair of home runs. In the first inning, Gideon Motes sent one over the left-field fence, and in the second inning, Justen Myles homered in the same direction.
Bryant Coach Garrett Bock praised his two upperclassmen for giving his team early life.
"Good job by our two seniors with those couple of solo shots," he said.
The Rockets (11-8, 5-4) would answer in the bottom of the second. After two batters reached on a hit batter and a walk, Brooks Ward drove in a run as he hit a shot into deep center field. However, one of the runners was thrown out on an attempt to score on the play and the Hornets stayed in front 2-1.
Bryant starting pitcher Ridge Southerland lasted 4 innings and recorded 6 strikeouts with no hits allowed. He was relieved by Eli Berry in the top of the fifth.
"For us in our program, it always starts with pitching," Bock said. "Ridge Southerland did a great job. He didn't have his best stuff [Wednesday] by any chance, but he competed and gave us a chance. Eli Berry did what Eli Berry does. He comes in the game, fills the zone up, and makes our defense go."
Both teams would tack on a run in the sixth inning. For Bryant, it was an RBI single by Hank Penfield.
The Rockets had their most productive offensive inning in the sixth with a double by Jackson England and a single by Jackson Givens. England would score from third on a wild pitch to cut Catholic's deficit to 3-2 heading into the final inning.
In the top of the seventh, the Hornets collected three hits and scored five runs. Jace Ruffner brought in three runs on a double. A couple of infield errors worked against the Rockets as well.
Catholic Coach Bryan Jones addressed the errors and how they impacted the outcome.
"You make some choices to put players in certain positions, and if the ball bounces one way or the other, it's a different story," he said. "We know we have limitations in some areas, and those were exploited [Wednesday]."
Even though in a losing effort, Jones said he was proud of the outing by starting pitcher Caleb Short. Finishing the game with 13 strikeouts, Short was able to hold Bryant at bay through six innings.
"He's as good of a competitor as there is in this conference," Jones said. "He gives us a chance every time he steps on the rubber. Really proud of his effort against a quality offense."
Playing a full game was also a point of emphasis for Bock.
"Our goal was to stay focused for every pitch, for all seven innings," he said. "Our guys did that. They bought in today, and it carried over to the field."