BETHANY – The Bronchos moved one win away from advancing to the area playoffs with a 12-1 rout of Sulphur Thursday (April 25).
Bethany (21-3) scored six runs in the first inning thanks to two walks, two hit batsmen and a three-run double to right field by junior Andrew Taber. Senior Christian Sigler doubled to right, driving in Taber. After a groundout, sophomore Judson Gilliland flied out to center, scoring Sigler to make it 6-0.
Sigler added an RBI-single in the second inning, driving in junior Charlie Tolle.
With two outs in the third inning, senior Cade Ross reached on an error. Ross went from first to third base on a single by sophomore Karter Thomas and scored on a single by junior Josh Pierce to make it 8-0.
The Bronchos made it 9-1 in the fifth inning. Junior Brock Cross single to lead off the inning and scored on another Sulphur error on a ball hit by Thomas.
Bethany added another run in the sixth on a groundout by Cross, scoring Gilliland, who led off the inning with a walk.
In the seventh, Bethany topped off the scoring with two walks plus singles by junior Rylan Eccles and Sigler to make it 12-1.
In all, the Bronchos collected 12 hits, taking advantage of five Bulldog errors.
“We hit the ball well today,” Bethany coach Brandon Ruiz said via text. “We got guys on early and took advantage of some timely hits with runners in scoring position.”
Sigler finished with a 3-for-4 performance, driving in four runs.
“Sigler has been working really hard in the cages on hitting the ball the other way. He did a great job tonight and he’s great leader for our team,” Ruiz said.
Ross added a 2-for-4 day, scoring twice and Pierce went 2-for-3.
On the mound, Pierce scattered three hits for the complete game win, striking out eight batters.
“He mixed up his tempo well and has been working on throwing his off speed early in counts.” Ruiz said. “He did a great job.”
UP NEXT: The Bronchos meet the winner of Clinton and Sulphur Friday (April 26) at 6:30 p.m. If the Bronchos win, they advance to the area playoffs.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Sulphur | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
L: Kennedy
| BETHANY | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Thomas | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Pierce | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| – Moore | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tolle | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Taber | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| – Eccles | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sigler | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Berry | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| – Finley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gilliland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cross | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 33 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
HBP: Sigler, Tolle, Gilliland, Pierce
SF: Gilliland
SB: Ross 2, Tolle 2, Gilliland 2, Sigler, Moore
| BETHANY | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pierce ( W ) | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| TOTAL | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| SULPHUR | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davenport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mobly | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matlack | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cole | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kennedy | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wood | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Barrett | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Runyan | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seitz | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
E: Barrett 3, Davenport, Wood
| SULPHUR | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kennedy ( L ) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Wood | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Seitz | 4.1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Runyan | 0.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cole | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 7 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 |
HBP: Kennedy 2, Seitz, Cole
West Metro Sports 