Bombers stun Greenville

 Some probably questioned Brownstown's sanity for scheduling Greenville this spring - a school nearly four times its size with a baseball program that is considered one of the best in the state.

And it probably seemed even less sane that the Bombers were bound and determined to get in Monday's game with the powerhouse Comets, minus injured standouts Jared Winters and Michael Kramer.

But despite heavy rains that soaked Bob Page Field over the weekend, Brownstown coach Ken Milano and his team worked diligently to get the field ready to go.

And none of it seems crazy now.

Milano says his team was celebrating as if it had won a regional title Monday night. And for good reason.

Their stunning 4-3 upset of Greenville was probably the biggest win the Brownstown baseball program has had since it won its only regional title 15 years ago.

"We feel like we just won the World Series," Milano said. "This is our biggest win in a while and we feel pretty good."

Sophomore Bryce Mason led the way on the mound, holding the Comets' powerful lineup in check, allowing three earned runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

"He just had them so off-balanced," said Milano, who noted that Greenville had about 10 infield popouts against Mason, who threw 108 pitches. "His speed and his movement just kept them off balance."

Greenville finally chased Mason in the top of the seventh, but Cody Robbins got out of a second-and-third, one-out jam by getting a flyout and groundout to close out the win.

In addition to Mason and Robbins' pitching, solid defense was key for the Bombers.

"Our defense really stepped up," Milano said. "The few times they did hit the ball hard, we made plays. All three of our outfielders (Connor Smith, Coleman Scott and Dylan Fulk) made great plays and the two errors we made didn't cost us anything."

The Bombers' biggest defensive play - a 1-2-3 double play in the fifth - helped them hang on to the lead and minimize the damage after Greenville loaded the bases with nobody out.

Brownstown seized the momentum from the get-go, as Mason worked a scoreless first inning and the host team took a 1-0 lead by manufacturing a run in the bottom of the frame.

Carl Sefton led off with a walk before stealing second and third, and scoring on a two-out RBI single by freshman Coleman Scott.

Greenville took a brief lead with a two-run third, but the Bombers rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the frame, as Scott came up with another clutch two-out RBI hit, scoring Smith, who drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.

The Bombers then took the lead for good in the fourth, as a two-out, two-run triple by Smith proved to be the game winner.

Sefton preceded Smith's big hit by drawing a one-out walk. Mason followed with a single, and a double-steal put runners on second and third with one out.

Greenville starter Dan Baumberger bounced back to strike out Levi Tackett for the second out of the inning, but Smith followed with the hit of the game.

Sefton drew three walks, stole four bases and scored two times for the Bombers, setting the tone at the top of the lineup.

"He was really the catalyst there, and we just got a couple key hits," Milano said. "Connor had a huge hit and Scott had two big RBI singles."

The Bombers handed Baumberger his second loss of the spring; the junior was 6-1 with a 1.79 earned run average last season.

Greenville, which is coming off a 25-6 season, has won six regional titles this decade.

"As coaches we kinda felt bad," Milano said, "because the way we were cheering at the end was kinda unsportsmanlike... But this was a huge win for us.

"Every inning, we just got more and more confidence. Right now, our heads are so big we think we can beat anybody."

Thursday's Game

Brownstown 7,

COR Lutheran 1

A pair of freshman led Brownstown to its first victory of the spring, as Colten Hunter picked up his first career varsity win - allowing one earned run on two his in five innings - and Scott went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Hunter fanned seven and walked three during his time on the hill, and Mason worked two scoreless innings to close out the game for a save.

Senior Levi Tackett added two hits and two RBIs in three at-bats, while Zach Betti was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Sefton was 1-for-3 with two steals and an RBI.