GLEN ROSE – Sparked by a seven-run top of the second inning, the Brownwood Lions pummeled the Glen Rose Tigers, 15-5, in five innings Tuesday to capture their District 6-4A baseball opener.

“I tell them if they do two of three things – throw strikes, put the ball in play and make routine plays on defense – you have a chance to win every single game you play,” said Lions second-year head coach Brian Harris. “They did a good job with all three of those at times tonight.”

The Lions (4-2, 1-0) finished with 13 hits led by Reece Bolton and Owen Huntsinger with two hits and three RBIs apiece, while Gavin Brandstetter and Kris Hobbs chipped in two hits and two RBIs each. Byron Foster also finished with two hits and an RBI while Logan Posey and Hunter Day contributed one hit and one RBI each. Also, Taylor Bessent notched a hit and Xadrian Mares drove in a run.

“I couldn’t be any happier than to have a start to district like this,” Harris said. “The guys just came out and started swinging the bats and really that’s what got us going.”

Day picked up the win on the mound over Glen Rose (2-6-1, 0-1), working four innings and allowing five runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Atticus Porter pitched a perfect fifth inning and recorded a strikeout, and the defense committed just one error.

“Hunter gave us some quality innings,” Harris said. “He struggled a few times with a lack of consistency, but overall he did a really good job and I’m proud of him getting his first district win. He also helped himself at the plate and put one over the center fielder’s head that really got us going.”

Trailing 1-0 after one inning as Glen Rose scored when Kolton McDonald reached on a two-out error that allowed Braulio Silva – who tripled – to come home, Brownwood answered with seven two-out runs in the top of the second.

With one out, Bessent doubled to left field and Foster followed with a single up the middle for Brownwood. Then, with two down, Day’s RBI double to deep center brought home the tying run. Following a walk to Mares that loaded the bases, the Lions took a 3-1 lead on a two-RBI single to left-center field by Bolton. An RBI double down the third base line by Brandstetter made the score 4-1 in favor of Brownwood, while Huntsinger ripped a two-RBI double to left-center field. Later, Hobbs – who walked – scored on a balk to account for the seventh run of the frame.

Brownwood extended its lead to 9-1 in the third as Posey led off with a single down the left field line and Day reached on an error. Mares followed with an RBI sacrifice fly and Brandstetter reached on a two-out RBI infield single to pad the cushion to eight runs.

Glen Rose crept within 9-3 in the bottom of the third on an RBI double by Silva and an RBI single by Haven Linnaberry, but the Lions got those two runs back in the top of the fourth. A lead single by Hobbs, followed by a one-out RBI triple by Foster and an RBI sac fly from Posey, boosted the lead to 11-3.

Again the Tigers sliced two runs off the Lions’ lead in the bottom of the fourth as an RBI triple from Silva accounted for one run, then Silva later came home on the back end of a double steal with Jake Gilbreath, who singled.

The Lions tallied their final four runs in the top of the fifth inning to enforce the 10-run mercy rule as Mares led off with a walk and scored on Bolton’s RBI single. Huntsinger later singled home Bolton while Hobbs followed with a two-run home run over the center field wall – Brownwood’s first home run as a team this season – to extend the advantage to 10 runs.

Brownwood will be back in action later this week with four games at the Abilene tournament – against Sweetwater at 12:15 p.m. and Crandall at 2:30 p.m. Thursday at Abilene Cooper; and against Abilene Wylie at 10 a.m. and Midland at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Abilene High.

The Lions resume District 6-4A action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they welcome Lampasas to Morris Southall Field.