Bears beat Miller Grove on Senior Day, 14-4

Bears beat Miller Grove on Senior Day, 14-4 Image

• Senior Kaleb White (4) weighs his options on the basepaths during the Bears' game against Miller Grove Thursday. In his final home game, White batted 1/2, recorded two RBIs, and scored a run in the Bears' 14-4 victory, helping them cap off a perfect district season. Photo by DJ Spencer

Dj Spencer Sports Editor Tue, 04/30/2024 - 19:19 Subhead

Brody Gunn strikes out 10

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SULPHUR BLUFF — The Sulphur Bluff Bears polished off an undefeated district season Thursday with a 14-4 home victory over the Miller Grove Hornets. The game’s tone would be set early on, as the Bears controlled the game from the start and never let up, leading to a win.

After the game, the Bears celebrated the careers of their eight seniors — Gavin Brazell, Clint Degen, Christian Gonzalez, Brody Gunn, Marshall Johnson, Ty LeMond, Matthew Overly, Kaleb White —as this was their final high school baseball game at Sulphur Bluff High School.

The Hornets stepped up to the plate first, facing Brody Gunn on the mound. The game started with a ground out and a strikeouts. Following a double and a single, another strikeout ended the Hornets’ turn.

The Bears stepped up to the plate next. Their turn started with Brazell hitting a single.

After Brody Gunn walked, Brock Gunn hit a 2-RBI double, bringing Brazell and Brody Gunn home and giving the Bears a 2-0 lead. Three consecutive outs followed when Ayden Johnson, Jaydon Carrell, and Tyson Collins all struck out, ending the first inning.

The second inning started with a walk. After that, Brody Gunn struck out the next three batters, ending the Hornets’ turn.

The bottom of the second inning started with White striking out. The bases then loaded up when Marshall Johnson walked, Matthew Overly was hit by a pitch, and Brazell walked.

Brody Gunn then hit an RBI single, bringing Marshall Johnson home and extending the Bears’ lead to 3-0. Brock Gunn followed with another RBI single, bringing Overly home and raising the score to 4-0. Brazell scored soon after on a wild pitch, making the score 5-0.

Ayden Johnson grounded out next, but managed to bring Brody Gunn home, extending the Bears’ lead to 6-0. After Carrell walked, Collins hit an RBI single, bringing Brock Gunn home and raising the score to 7-0.

White hit a 2-RBI double on the next at-bat, bringing Carrell and Collins home and bringing the score to 9-0. Marshall Johnson then brought White home with an RBI double, making the score 10-0. The inning finally came to an end when Overly hit a fly ball for an out.

The third inning began with a ground out and a strikeout. The Hornets then gained two runners on a walk and a single.

A 2-RBI single on the next at-bat brought home two runs, trimming the score to 10-2. A strikeout followed, bringing the Hornets’ turn to a close.

The bottom of the third inning began with the Bears immediately loading the bases following singles by Brazell and Brody Gunn, and Brock Gunn getting hit by a pitch. After Degen struck out, Brazell and Brody Gunn scored on an error, raising the score to 12-2. This was followed by Carrell striking out.

Though another runner was gained when Collins was hit by a pitch, the inning ended when LeMond struck out.

The Hornets were retired in order to start the fourth inning, as Brody Gunn recorded three consecutive strikeouts.

The bottom of the fourth inning started with Marshall Johnson and Overly both grounding out. Though a runner was gained when Brazell walked, the inning ended when Brody Gunn hit a fly ball for an out, with the Bears still leading 12-2.

For the fifth inning, Brazell relieved Brody Gunn on the mound. The Hornets began the inning with a single. Then, an RBI single brought home a run, trimming the score to 12-3.

Later on, another run was scored on a steal of home, as the Hornets cut the score to 12-4. From there, Brazell struck out the next three batters, ending the Hornets’ turn.

The bottom of the fifth inning began with JT Aubrey- Foster reaching base on a dropped third strike. Another runner was gained when Degen walked.

After Kason Joslin struck out, Collins grounded out, but managed to bring Aubrey-Foster home, bringing the score to 13-4. After Evan Carr walked, Degen scored the winning run on a steal of home, helping the Bears cap off a 14-4 victory.

As a team, the Bears batted 9 for 24 (.375) from the plate. Brazell, Brock Gunn, and Brody Gunn led with two hits each, while Collins, Marshall Johnson, and White added one hit each.

Brazell and Brody Gunn shared the title of leading scorer with three runs each. Aubrey-Foster, Carrell, Collins, Degen, Brock Gunn, Marshall Johnson, Overly, and White all added one run a piece.

Brody Gunn earned the win on the mound. In four innings, he struck out 10 batters, conceding just four hits, two earned runs, and two walks. Brazell pitched the final inning in relief, striking out three batters and conceding only two hits and two earned runs.

With the win, the Bears conclude the regular season at 6-0 in district and 10-7 overall. They will now focus on the upcoming playoffs. Coverage of the Bears’ playoff run will be published in upcoming editions of the News-Telegram.