Sparked by five-run third inning, Lions move into third place with 7-3 win over Lampasas
After spotting the Lampasas Badgers a three-run lead, the Brownwood Lions tallied the final seven runs – including five in the third inning alone – and escaped bases loaded jams in each of the final two innings. The end result was a critical 7-3 victory over Lampasas Tuesday night at Morris Southall Field which vaulted the Lions into sole possession of third place in the District 6-4A baseball standings.
“I don’t know if it was nerves at the beginning, but we let a few things slip by us and got down, but man did they battle at the plate,” said Lions third-year head coach Bryan Harris. “They did a really good job of putting into the game what we’re doing in practice, and I really like to see that progression.”
The Lions (6-11-1, 3-4) finished with eight hits and drew six walks, while Brownwood pitchers Kyle Ivy and Cole Miller combined to strand 11 base runners while allowing 10 hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
“We did a good job of having an approach at the plate, our guys did a better job of playing defense and making plays, and Kyle made some really good pitches,” Harris said.
Offensive standouts included Gavin Brandstetter with two hits, including a double, and a pair of RBIs; Campbell Gilmore with a hit and two RBIs; Case Markham, Logan Posey and Miller with a hit and an RBI apiece; and Jakob Hataway and Ivy also added base hits.
Trailing Lampasas (3-15, 2-5) by a 3-0 count after giving up two runs in the second inning and one in the third, the Lions began the bottom of the third with singles from Ivy and Hataway. Markham followed with an RBI single to bring home the first run, then Brandstetter’s RBI sacrifice fly cut the deficit to 3-2. Posey walked ahead of an RBI double from Miller that knotted the score at 3, then Gilmore delivered a two-RBI single to push Brownwood in front for good, 5-3.
The Lions tacked on two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth as Ivy walked, Hataway reached on an error and Markham was hit by a pitch to fill the sacks with no outs. Brandstetter then doubled home Jordyn Nickerson, running for Ivy, while Hataway was retired at the plate. Posey followed with an RBI single that plated Markham with the final run.
“We talk about pitch selection all the time,” Harris said. “If you don’t go 3-for-3 you don’t have to change you swing, you just need to swing at a different pitch. We’ve gone back to the basics, hitting on tees quite a bit, and it’s translating over to the field.”
In the top of the sixth, Lampasas loaded the bases with two outs on two infield singles and a walk, but Ivy induced a fly out to right field to end the threat.
Then in the seventh, three singles loaded the bases with one out, where Ivy fanned his final batter before being lifting due to the pitch count in favor of Miller, who then recorded the final out on a strikeout.
“Kyle did his best pitching when runners were in scoring position,” Harris said. “That hasn’t necessarily been that way overall for Kyle, but he did a really good job of getting out of some jams tonight and I’m really proud of him.”
The Lions will venture to Lampasas at 7 p.m. Friday for the rubber game of three between the District 6-4A rivals.
