Bears rally for extra inning comeback victory at Southwest Mississippi

Monday, March 23, 2026: Baseball 

Summit, MS

The Baton Rouge Bears faced off against the Southwest Mississippi Bears on the diamond this evening to conclude their three-game season series. Southwest had won the previous two meetings against Baton Rouge. Although the Bears trailed early, they rallied late to tie the game, and with timely hitting and solid pitching in the final innings, the BRCC Bears defeated the Southwest Bears 16 to 12 in ten innings.

Southwest got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the first inning, taking an early lead. They added three more runs in the bottom of the second, extending their advantage to 4-0 over Baton Rouge.

The BRCC Bears cut into the lead with two runs in the top of the third inning, making the score 4-2. Cooper Martin was hit by a pitch, followed by a walk to Ben Switzer. Kenneth Berard was also hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Trent Laporte then hit a single up the middle, plating Martin and Switzer for Baton Rouge's first two runs.

Baton Rouge struck again in the fourth inning but still trailed 4-3. Brecken Bordelon led off with a single to left field, followed by a walk from Aiden Washington. Hudson Heltz executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up 90 feet. Cooper Martin drew another walk, loading the bases, and Ben Switzer hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring the tagging Bordelon.

Baton Rouge tied the game in the fifth inning. Kenneth Berard led off with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and moved to third on another wild pitch. Trent Laporte walked, and Berard scored on a fielding error, tying the game at four.

Southwest regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth with two runs, making it 6-4. However, the BRCC Bears retook the lead in the top of the sixth inning, scoring three runs to go up 7-6. Aiden Washington led off with an infield single, followed by a hit by pitch on Hudson Heltz. Cooper Martin then drew another walk, loading the bases. Keegan Kelsey walked, scoring Heltz. Jay Stelly, who replaced Berard, singled to left field, bringing in Martin to tie the game at 6. A balk by the Southwest pitcher allowed Switzer to score, giving Baton Rouge the lead.

Southwest once again responded in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs to take a 10-7 lead.

The Baton Rouge Bears tied the game at 10 in the seventh inning. Brecken Bordelon led off with a single, and Hudson Heltz walked. Cooper Martin hit a three-run homer to right field, bringing the score to a tie.

BRCC pitcher Cole Cranford held the SMCC Bears scoreless for two innings, giving his team a chance to win. Baton Rouge scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning to take a 12-10 lead. Hudson Heltz singled, followed by consecutive walks by Cooper Martin and Ben Switzer to load the bases. The SMCC pitcher balked, allowing Heltz to score. Keegan Kelsey then hit a sacrifice fly to score Martin. Southwest was not done yet; they managed to score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 12 and send it into extra innings.

In the tenth inning, the Bears continued their hitting streak. Trent Laporte led off with a double to left field. Brayden Bertucci followed with a single to center field, putting runners at the corners. Brecken Bordelon hit a sacrifice fly to score Laporte. Aiden Washington walked, and Hudson Heltz was hit by another pitch, loading the bases again. Ben Switzer singled to left field, bringing in two more runs due to a Southwest fielding error. Baton Rouge took a 16-12 lead into the bottom of the tenth.

BRCC's Scott Recile found himself in a bit of trouble in the bottom of the tenth but managed to secure three strikeouts to end the Southwest threat and preserve the 16-12 extra-inning victory.

James T. Lewis started on the mound for the Bears and pitched 4.2 innings, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits while walking 6 and striking out 5. Conner Mayeux (0.1 innings), Chandler Moreau (1.0 innings), Cole Cranford (3.0 innings), and Scott Recile (1.0 innings) pitched in relief for Baton Rouge, with Cranford receiving the win. C. Segrest started on the mound for Southwest, which used eight relief pitchers against Baton Rouge.

Both teams collected 12 hits, and Southwest was charged with two errors in the game.

Bears Highlights:

- Keegan Kelsey: 1 for 5, 2 RBIs, 1 BB

- Kenneth Berard: 1 run

- Jay Stelly: 1 for 3, 1 RBI

- Brayden Bertucci: 2 for 6, 1 run

- Brecken Bordelon: 2 for 5, 2 runs, 1 RBI

- Aiden Washington: 1 for 4, 2 walks

- Hudson Heltz: 1 for 2, 4 runs, 1 BB, 2 HBP

- Cooper Martin: 1 for 2, 4 runs, 3 RBIs, 3 BB, 1 HR

- Ben Switzer: 1 for 3, 2 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 BB

With the victory, the BRCC Bears improved to 4-26 while the Southwest Bears fell to 20-12.

Next Up:

The Bears will open conference play on the road at LSUE this weekend for a four-game series starting on Friday, March 27, at Bengals Stadium in Eunice, Louisiana.

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