BETHANY — For the third time in nine days, Bethany beat Mount Saint Mary. While the first two were close games (including an extra inning affair Thursday), the Class 4A Region 8 championship game was not, as the Bronchos rolled to an 8-2 win.
“(Senior pitcher) Layton Reither was excellent. We hit the ball really well as a team,” Bethany coach Robert Lee said via text. “MSM is very good and will be very good for awhile. Very proud of our guys.”
Reither scattered four hits in a complete-game win. He walked five batters and struck out five.
The Rockets’ only came in the top of the first inning. MSM sophomore Mile Stanley was hit by a pitch with one out. After a line out, senior Harry Tesio hit a two-run home run over the left field wall.
In the bottom of the inning, two walks and an error loaded the bases for the Bronchos. Sophomore Cooper Willis and senior Preston Orton had back-to-back singles to make it 2-2. Senior Andrew Taber hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but the Rockets failed to turn the double play and junior Karter Thomas scored to give Bethany a 3-2 lead.
The Bronchos extended the lead in the second with an RBI-double by junior Judson Gilliland which scored senior Brock Cross (who led off the inning with a single).
Sophomore Brody McLaren led off the fourth inning with a home run over the left field wall to make it 5-2.
Reither had worked around trouble in the second, allowing two singles and a walk. In the fifth, a line out to senior Joe Berry turned into a double play as he doubled off sophomore Jefferson Hodge to end a scoring threat.
In the sixth inning, the Rockets made noise again with a leadoff double from sophomore Wade Webb and and an intentional walk of Tesio (who went 3-of-5 with two home runs against the Bronchos in the regional). Reither got a strikeout and coaxed two groundouts to end the inning.
In the sixth inning, a two-out rally sealed the win as the Bethany dugout, which had been loud the entire tournament, celebrated. Bethany got three singles and two walks to plate three runs to make it 8-2.
Gilliland went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Cross was 2-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases.
Berry was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Willis, Orton and McLaren each had a hit and an RBI.
Tolle and Thomas each walked twice. Tolle scored twice and Thomas crossed the plate once in the win.
UP NEXT
The Bronchos move on to the Area round of the Class 4A playoffs with opponent, day and time to be announced Sunday (May 4).
The win marks the second straight season that Bethany has won their regional. This comes after a regional drought for the Bronchos, dating back to 2016.
Photographs courtesy of Kristie Escoe of Life in Action Photography.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Saint Mary (24-11) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Bethany (26-5) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | X | 8 | 8 | 0 |
MOUNT SAINT MARY – 2B: Wade Webb. HR: Harry Tesio. HBP: Miles Stanley. SB: Ryder Blankenship. CS: Cord Brown. E: Sam Grayson.
BETHANY – 2B: Judson Gilliland. HR: Brody McLaren. SB: Brock Cross 2.
CLASS 4A REGION 8 PLAYOFFS (AT BETHANY)
THURSDAY, May 1, 2025
Game 1: Bethany 14, Seminole 4
Game 2: Mount Saint Mary 12, Bridge Creek 7
Game 3: Bethany 4, Mount Saint Mary 3
Game 4: Bridge Creek 10, Seminole 4 (Seminole eliminated)
SATURAY, May 3, 2025
Game 5: Mount Saint Mary 16, Bridge Creek 4 (Bridge Creek eliminated)
Game 6: Bethany 8, Mount Saint Mary 2 (Mount Saint Mary eliminated)
West Metro Sports 