SAN ANGELO – Facing a three-run deficit with three outs remaining in regulation, the Brownwood Lions pushed four runs across the plate in the top of the seventh inning to rally for a 7-6 road victory over San Angelo Lake View in the first game of the 2024 baseball campaign Monday night.

Trailing 6-3 with one out in the top of the seventh inning, Jordyn Nickerson singled to left field to ignite the rally. Gavin Brandstetter was then intentionally walked and David Turner followed with an RBI single that plated Nickerson to shave the deficit to 6-4.

Logan Posey reached on an error to load the bases, then Brandstetter scored on a wild pitch, reducing the gap to 6-5. Cole Miller followed with another walk to again fill the sacks.

With two outs, Eli Hill came through with a go-ahead two-RBI single to right field to plate both Ike Hall, running for Turner, and Posey to push the Lions in front.

In the bottom of the seventh, Noah Gonzalez retired the side in order to secure the victory.

Gonzalez worked three innings of relief and gave up three earned runs on two hits with a pair of strikeouts and two walks. Brandstetter started and tossed four innings of two-hit ball, yielding three unearned runs with four strikeouts and three walks.

At the plate, the Lions collected six hits – two by Posey and one each by Nickerson, Brandstetter, Turner and Hill – and were aided by a half dozen walks and seven Lake View errors.

Brownwood jumped out to a 2-0 lead after three innings, but Lake View scored three runs each in the bottom of the fourth and fifth frames, while the Lions mustered just one more run in the top of the fifth before the seventh-inning explosion.

A rematch of last year’s bi-district playoff series, the Lions (1-0) and Lake View (0-1) will again cross paths at 9 a.m. Thursday at Morris Southall Field in the first game of the Brown County tournament.

The Lions will then battle Perryton at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Jacksboro at 7 p.m. Friday, Canyton at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and Andrews at 7 p.m. Saturday.