Bears split the day with #1 LSUE Bengals at Pete Goldsby

Saturday, April 12, 2025: Baseball 

Baton Rouge, LA  

The Baton Rouge Bears faced the #1 LSUE Bengals in a three-game conference series at Pete Goldsby Field. It was a tale of two games this afternoon. The Bears lost a heartbreaker in game one when the Bengals rallied late to win 13-10. However, in game two, the Bears mounted a comeback of their own, using a late rally and a walk-off hit to defeat the Bengals 5-4.  

Game One  

The Bears started off strong as pitcher Jayse Degruy delivered a three-up and three-down inning in the first, setting the tone for the game. The Bears erupted for 7 runs in the bottom of the first inning, taking a commanding lead over the Bengals.  

Layne Swanson led off for the Bears with a single to right field. Peyton Chiasson followed, reaching base after being hit by a pitch. Jackson Martin then hit an infield single to load the bases. Jacob Covington contributed with a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing Swanson home from third. Dillion Bird hit a single up the middle to drive in Chiasson, and Aidan Machado followed with a single to left to reload the bases. Trent Laporte drew a walk, which scored Martin. Jake Brouillette then hit a double to left, plating both Bird and Machado. Brayden Bertucci replaced Brouillette at second with a double of his own, scoring Laporte. Lastly, Layne Swanson batted for a second time in the frame and drew a walk, allowing Jake Brouillette to score on a wild pitch, bringing the Bears' total to seven runs in the inning.  

The Bengals capitalized on inconsistent pitching from the Bears, scoring five runs in the second inning but still trailing 7-5. A. Dupuy led off the Bengals' fourth inning with a solo home run to left field, narrowing the gap to 7-6.  

The Bears responded by scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth, increasing their lead to 8-6. Dillion Bird drew a walk and scored on a double to left field by Trent Laporte. Laporte then scored on a single up the middle by Jake Brouillette.  

The Bengals pulled within one run by scoring two runs in the top of the sixth inning, making the score 9-8. The Bears managed to add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Aidan Machado led off with a single to right field. Trent Laporte walked, moving both runners up on a passed ball. Brayden Bertucci hit a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing Machado home.  

In the top of the seventh, the Bengals launched their rally. They began the inning with a walk for A. Fiselier, followed by a double from A. Dupuy, putting runners on second and third. A. Mouton hit a sacrifice fly to drive in one run. Bears pitcher Dylan Cedotal was called for a balk, which allowed the Bengals to tie the game at 10. The Bears went down in order in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.  

In the eighth inning, the Bengals scored three runs, taking a 13-10 lead over the Bears. The Bears managed to get a runner on with a single by Trent Laporte in the bottom of the eighth, but the Bengals secured the win with two fly outs and a ground out, ending the game at 13-10.  

Jayse Degruy started on the mound for the Bears, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing 5 runs on 2 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 3. Cole Veroine (3.1 innings), Briggs Ardoin (1.0 inning), Dylan Cedotal (1.0 inning), Jaxon Adams (0.2 innings), and Joshua Jensen (0.1 innings) provided relief for the Bears, with Joshua Jensen being credited with the loss. A. Beversdorf started for the Bengals, lasting only 0.1 innings and allowing 7 runs on 6 hits while walking 1.  

Baton Rouge outhit LSUE 13 to 10, though the Bears committed two errors compared to one for the Bengals.  

Bears Highlights  

Layne Swanson went 1 for 2 with 1 run and 2 walks  

Peyton Chiasson had a 1 run  

Jackson Martin went 1 for 4 with 1 run and 1 walk  

Jacob Covington went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI  

Dillion Bird went 1 for 4 with 2 runs, 1 RBI, and 1 walk  

Aidan Machado went 2 for 5 with 2 runs  

Trent Laporte went 3 for 3 with 2 runs, 2 RBIs, and 2 walks  

Jake Brouillette went 3 for 5 with 1 run and 3 RBIs  

Brayden Bertucci went 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs 

Game Two  

The Bears had their fans on the edge of their seats as they faced their last out in the seventh inning. Dillion Bird hit a single to left field, bringing home Jackson Martin and sealing a thrilling 5-4 comeback victory for the Bears. 

In the first two innings, both teams struggled to generate offense. The Bengals found some success at the plate in the third inning, scoring two runs to take an early lead. They added another run in the fourth inning, extending their lead to 3-0. The Bears finally got on the board in the fourth inning with a run but still trailed the Bengals 3-1. Hudson Heltz led off by being hit by a pitch, followed by Shawn Driggers and Conner Kleinpeter, who both drew walks to load the bases. Aidan Machado then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Heltz to tag up and score, marking the Bears' first run of the game. 

The Bengals added an insurance run in the sixth inning, extending their lead to 4-1. True to their fighting spirit, the Bears refused to give up. In the seventh inning, Conner Kleinpeter led off with a single, followed by Brayden Bertucci, who also hit a single. Kleinpeter scored on a wild pitch, but the Bengals managed to get Layne Swanson to line out, putting the Bears' chances for a comeback in jeopardy. Kaiden Broussard pinch hit and drew a walk before being replaced by Peyton Chiasson. Jackson Martin reached on a fielding error by the Bengals' second baseman, which scored Bertucci and advanced Chaisson to third. Chaisson then scored on another wild pitch, tying the game at four. Dillion Bird ended the game with a single to left field, scoring Martin from second base and helping the Bears walk off with a 5-4 victory over the LSUE Bengals. 

This victory marked the first time in history that the Bears defeated a NJCAA Division I number one ranked team. 

Klayton Wingfield started on the mound for the Bears, pitching 2 innings while allowing no runs on 1 hit, along with 1 walk and 1 strikeout. Jack Cowan pitched 2.0 innings, Conner Mayeaux pitched 2.0 innings, and Grayson Ada pitched 1.0 inning in relief for the Bears. Grayson Davis earned the win for the Bears. On the other hand, X Woods started for the Bengals, pitching 4 innings with 1 run allowed on 1 hit, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts. 

LSUE outhit Baton Rouge 7 to 4, while the Bengals committed one error compared to two for the Bears. 

Bears Highlights: 

Kaiden Broussard had a 1 walk 

Peyton Chiasson  had a 1 run 

Jackson Martin went 1 for 4 with 1 run 

Dillion Bird went 1 for 4 with 1 RBI 

Conner Kleinpeter went 1 for 2 with 1 run and 1 walk 

Aidan Machado had 1 RBI and 1 walk 

Brayden Bertucci went 1 for 3 with 1 run 

With this split, the Bears improved to 5-34, 1-7, while the Bengals improved to 40-2, 9-1 on the season. LSUE leads the all-time series with 77 wins to 16 losses against Baton Rouge. 

The Bears and Bengals will conclude their series on Sunday, April 13, at 1 PM. Before the game, the Bears will celebrate their 14 sophomores. 

For more information on the Bears baseball team, follow us on Twitter at @BRCC_Baseball and on Instagram and Facebook at @BRCCAthletics.