Brownsboro opens baseball season on the road
By Chad Wilson Editor

Chad Wilson Photo Senior Ryan Epperson pitched six strong innings and struck out seven batters to earn the Bears' their first win of the season. Brownsboro defeated Westwood 8-1.

While playing in the Howard Estes Memorial Tournament in Palestine last Thursday the Bears opened up the 2008 baseball season with an 8-1 win over next year's District 20-3A opponent, Westwood.

Brownsboro defeated Westwood, on their home field, thanks in large part to the pitching of senior Ryan Epperson.

Epperson struck out seven batters in the game but was at his best when the weather was at its worst.

Leading 6-0 entering the bottom of the fourth inning the Bears appeared to be in cruise control towards their first win of the season.

Mother Nature must have been a Westwood Panther fan as the rain began to fall harder and harder as Epperson took the mound.

One Panther run crossed the plate on a Brownsboro error before a walk loaded the bases with no one out in the inning.

Soaking wet due to the rain, Epperson locked-in and struck out the next two Panthers before forcing the final batter of the inning to fly out to shallow centerfield.

Chad Wilson Photo Brownsboro's Brad McDonald slides under the tag of a Westwood defender to steal third base during the Bears' first game of the 2008 baseball season.

As the Bears took to the top of the fifth inning the rain stopped and the Bears tacked on two more runs to secure the 8-1 season opening victory.

Despite scoring eight runs the Bears managed just four hits in the game. Daniel Suggs recorded the Bears first hit of the season during the top of the second inning.

Suggs scored the first run of the season in the second inning as Collin Wilson drew a walk with the bases loaded.

Overall the Bears showed patience at the plate as they drew 13 walks in the game.

Brad McDonald, Keaton Parsell, Jeremy Monroe and Ryan Smith all had a stolen base for the Bears in the win.

In round two of pool play the Bears lost to the Mildred Eagles 12-2 in five innings.

Mildred scored four runs in the first inning off of two hits. Brownsboro scored a run in the bottom half of the first as Collin Wilson led off with an infield hit before stealing second and scoring on a Ryan Epperson sacrifice to second.

The score remained 4-1 until the fifth inning when the Eagles scored eight runs on six hits and two errors.

Brownsboro managed to manufacture a run in the bottom of the fifth inning as Tyler Rogers led off with a walk. Rogers scored on an error by the Eagles' centerfielder.

On Friday the Bears fell to Jacksonville 8-5 in the final pool play game of the tournament. Keaton Parsell struck out nine Indians in the losing effort.

Epperson led the Bears in hitting against Jacksonville as he had three hits on four plate appearances. `Epp' doubled, tripled and scored a run.

Wilson, Parsell, Suggs, Smith and Austin Adair also had hits for the Bears. Overall the Bears totaled eight hits in the game.

In tournament play the Bears lost to Grapeland 7-4 in extra innings.

Jacob Shelton (5) and Clint Cundiff (9) combined to strike out 14 batters in the game against Grapeland.

Collin Wilson had three hits on four plate appearances in the game against Grapeland. He scored two runs and stole two bases in the game.

Brad McDonald and Parsell each had two RBI in the game.

Brownsboro began play in the Whitehouse Classic today at 1:30pm against Central Heights. At 6:30pm the Bears will play Whitehouse.

The final pool game of the Classic will be played on Friday at 2pm against Paris.

Brownsboro will travel to Westwood on Tuesday, March 4 in a rematch of the season opener.