Braves win memorable 8-7 game against SA

DANE FUELLING

WZBD.com

DECATUR – A career night at the plate for Eli Laurent was enough to overcome a poor first inning on the mound as the Bellmont Braves sent off the seniors with an 8-7 win over South Adams in the final home game of the season, claiming the title of Adams County champs along the way. 

Laurent began the game with a struggle from the mound, walking Kyle Minger to lead off the game and then allowing a two-run home run to Owen Wanner to quickly fall behind 2-0 without recording an out. 

Wanner’s bomb, his second of the year, was sliced into the wind and out toward right center, keeping Bellmont center fielder Jack Scheumann on the trail until it just cleared the fence. 

The Starfires manufactured another run with a couple of walks and a timely bunt, sending all nine men to the plate in the opening inning , but Wanner’s homer was the only hit allowed by the Bellmont starter. 

Laurent put the bat in his hands and hit a little looper into left field, hustling all the way into second as it dropped for a one-out double. Austin Christner followed with a double to put the Braves on the board and Dylan Velez drove him in with a ground out. Beau Baker singled later in the inning to score Jack Scheumann, although the Braves ended the inning on a poor base running play to kill the rally thereafter. 

Laurent settled down from there, not allowing a run over the next two innings before being replaced, as planned by coach Tom Montgomery, to start the fourth inning. The senior ended his night with two hits and two earned runs allowed. 

Bellmont tacked on three more runs against SA starter Matt Steiner in the second inning with singles by Andrew James and Laurent and more RBI hits by Christner and Velez. 

A two-out triple by Laurent in the fourth gave Steiner the hook and the visitors went to Caleb Hirschfeld for the rest of the game on the mound. He stranded Laurent to end the inning and then pitched a scoreless fifth. 

Trailing 6-3, South Adams mounted a rally in the sixth against Will Baker. It began with a double by Hunter Kongar, one of three hits on the night for the No. 9 hitter, and continued with a single by Minger. Owen Wanner drove in Minger with a sacrifice fly and the game was back to one run. 

Knowing that they had just two innings left before an entire week off ahead of Saturday’s sectional game, the Bellmont Braves gave themselves a cushion with an answer to the SA runs. 

Beau Baker singled to lead off the inning, but Will Baker’s sacrifice attempt was right back at the pitcher and Beau was out at second. Will stole second to make up for it and went to third on Andrew James’ single, setting up Laurent for the opportunity to complete the cycle. Instead, the senior smashed another double to drive in both runs and put the Braves back up 8-5. 

South Adams did not go down quietly, however, and Corey Lenington doubled to lead off the seventh. Matt Steiner reached on a bunt single that was fielded cleanly by Baker but much too late to get an out. Gavin Myers drove in a run when his fly ball was dropped as Scheumann cut across left field and his glove hit left fielder Austin Christner with both outfields converging in an attempt to make the crucial catch. 

Kongar drove in another run with a single into short right field, setting up Minger as the potential hero. Instead, he sacrificed the runner over so that Wanner could have the opportunity to drive both runs in with a base hit. 

Will Baker had other ideas and the sophomore picked up the final out to secure the win for the Braves. 

Baker threw four innings and allowed eight hits, but got the outs he needed to always keep the Braves in the lead. 

Hirschfeld finished with 2.1 innings pitched for the Starfires and struck out three, allowing two runs.