GLEN ROSE – The District 6-4A baseball champion Brownwood Lions recorded their most lopsided victory of the entire season Tuesday night – a 9-0 road triumph over the league rival Glen Rose Tigers.
“I thought tonight was a really good indication of playing a complete ball game with our hitting, our pitching and our defense,” said Lions head coach Blake Sandford, as Brownwood’s largest margin of victory prior to Tuesday night was an 8-0 victory over Perryton in Feb. 22. “It’s been a long district break since the Stephenville game, but I was proud of their reaction and action to playing this ball game. Every ball game we play is important because it’s important to play well. I was proud of their effort and the way they battled tonight, especially at the plate.”
The Lions (21-6-1, 10-1) struck for four two-out runs over the first two innings, added four more runs in the sixth, and scored a final two-out run in the seventh, while Yovani Figueroa worked 6.1 scoreless innings with one hit allowed to secure the victory on the mound.
Brownwood collected 15 hits off four different Glen Rose (17-14, 4-7) pitchers. Eli Hill led the charge with three hits and three RBIs trailed by David Turner with two hits and a pair of RBIs, Jordyn Nickerson and Logan Posey with two hits and one RBI apiece, Austin Wright with a pair of hits, Gavin Brandstetter and Jack Field both with a hit and an RBI, and Antonio Ybarra and Noah Gonzalez also logged base hits.
“We had good at-bats and did a really good job tonight running bases, getting extra base hits, and bunting to get the guys to second base so we’re always in scoring position and ready to create that chaos we like to do,” Sandford said.
Meanwhile, Figueroa struck out nine Tigers, walked six and gave up just a first-inning single before giving way to Gonzalez, who recorded the final two outs – with one being a strikeout.
“Yovani was just dealing again tonight,” Sandford said. “He’s doing a really good job and any time you put a zero up in a district match it’s a phenomenal job.”
The Lions struck for a trio of two-out runs in the top of the first as Nickerson was hit by the first pitch of the game, then Posey drew a two-out walk. Hill followed with a two-RBI double down the right field line that plated Nickerson and Caleb Nix, running for Posey. Jack Field then delivered an RBI single to left field as Hill was able to avoid the tag at the plate.
Brownwood tacked on a fourth two-out run in the top of the second inning as Turner singled into left field to plate Wright, who began the frame with a base hit, for a 4-0 advantage.
The Lions doubled their scoring output with four more runs in the top of the sixth inning to build an 8-0 lead. Wright led off with a single, Ybarra reached on a sacrifice bunt and a throwing error, then Nickerson singled to fill the sacks with no outs. Turner followed with an RBI sac fly that scored Wright, then Gavin Brandstetter grounded out, but Nickerson created a run down long enough to allow Ybarra to tally the sixth run. Posey then doubled off the fence to plate Nickerson with the seventh run, and Hill’s RBI single up the middle brought home Nix, running for Posey, with the eighth run.
Brownwood picked up a two-out run in the seventh inning as Ybarra singled with two down, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI infield single by Nickerson.
The Lions will wrap up the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday as they host Glen Rose for Senior Night, seeking their third three-game sweep of a District 6-4A foe.
“We just have to keep stepping on the gas,” Sandford said. “Every time you step on the field is always an opportunity to get better, to be elite, and we always want to be elite. We want to be rolling on all cylinders and I expect our best effort. I’ve gotten really attached to the seniors this year, they’re really great ball players and I worked with some when they were youths. We want go out and give our best effort in honor and tribute to those guys. They’ve left a lot of blood, sweat and tears on that field.”