WESTWEGO, La. – LSU Eunice Baseball showed its maturity and ability to fight through adversity during the Bengals' 15-8 win over Baton Rouge to open the LCCAC/Region 23 Tournament at Segnette Field in Westwego on Thursday. LSUE (42-9) advances to play Delgado in winner's bracket action on Friday at 6:00PM.
The Bengals saw themselves with their backs against the wall, entering the bottom of the fourth inning in a 6-0 hole against the Bears. BRCC threw its best punch at LSUE early, hitting three home runs to take an early advantage. LSUE would respond in impressive fashion, outscoring Baton Rouge 15-2 the rest of the way, including scoring at least one run in its next five at bats.
LSUE would finally get on the board in the fourth inning after connecting on four straight base hits to begin the frame. Tyler Mitchell (Marrero, LA, John Curtis HS) scratched across the first LSUE runs of the game with a hard ball sent back up the middle that would score Marshall Louque (Lutcher, LA, Lutcher HS) and Milan Obradovich (Tuscaloosa, AL, Northridge HS). Jake Smith (Rosepine, LA, Rosepine HS) and Andrew Clapinski (Baton Rouge, LA, Catholic-Baton Rouge HS) would add two more runs in the inning to trim the Bengals' deficit in more than half.
The Bengals tacked on three more runs in the fifth to take a temporary lead, highlighted by a Caleb Hastings (Lutcher, LA, Lutcher HS) RBI double. The Bears answered right back in the sixth with a two-run home run to regain the lead, 8-7. They were the last runs of the game for Baton Rouge.
Mason Bordelon (Marksville, LA, Avoyelles Charter HS) connected on one of his team's best four hits on the afternoon in the sixth inning to score Obradovich and tie the game back up at 8-8. LSUE would take the lead for good in the seventh thanks to an Andrew Clapinski two-run home run and another Bordelon RBI.
An Aidan Mouton (Rayne, LA, Notre Dame HS) bunt single in the eighth inning added an insurance run before Marshall Louque put an exclamation point on the victory with a towering three-run home run.
Bordelon's four hits led LSUE in that category, while six other Bengals joined him with multi hit games. Clapinski, Louque and Mitchell each produced three RBIs in the win. The Bengals outhit the Bears 20-14 with seven of LSUE's hits going for extra bases.
McCray Jacobs (Johnson City, TX, Johnson City HS) picked up the win to improve to 5-0 on the season. The southpaw gave five innings of relief work, giving up four earned runs off seven hits and one free pass. Jacobs struck out six batters. Hudson Spangler (Zachary, LA, Zachary HS) got the start, going two innings while Mekai Gallien (Rosenberg, TX, Lamar Consolidated HS) and Hunter Gambel (Hammond, LA, St. Thomas Aquinas HS) also picked an inning out of the bullpen.
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