Bears swept by #3 East Central Warriors in Decatur

A baseball player grips a bat, standing alongside another player, both ready for the game on the field.
Box Score
March 7, 2026

Saturday, March 7, 2026: Baseball 

Decatur, MS 

The Baton Rouge Bears concluded their three-game series with the #3 East Central Community College Warriors today at the Clark/Gay Sports Complex. The Warriors swept the Bears with dominating offensive performances, winning 24-2 in Game One and 13-3 in Game Two. 

Game One 

The Baton Rouge Bears struggled to keep pace with the high-powered offense of the East Central Warriors, losing Game One of today's doubleheader 24-2 in seven innings. The Bears took an early lead with a leadoff home run to left field by Gabriel McKee. However, the Warriors quickly responded, scoring six runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 6-1 lead. They added three more runs in the second inning, extending their lead to 9-1. 

The Bears managed to score again in the third inning with another leadoff homer, this time to right field by Cooper Martin, making the score 9-2. However, the floodgates opened as the East Central Warriors scored nine runs in the third inning, followed by one run in the fourth, three runs in the fifth, and two runs in the sixth, resulting in a 24-2 run-rule victory. 

Tanner Cranford started on the mound for the Bears and took the loss, pitching 2 innings and allowing 9 runs (8 earned) on 8 hits while walking 2 batters. Jack Conravey (0.1 innings), Scott Recile (0.2 innings), Chandler Moreau (2.0 innings), and Kyle Stansbury (1.0 inning) pitched in relief for the Bears. T. Derrick started for the Warriors and earned the win, pitching 5 innings and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 3. R. Nelson pitched 2 innings in relief for the Warriors. 

The Warriors hit three home runs, while the Bears hit two. The Warriors outhit Baton Rouge 22 to 4, and the Bears committed five errors compared to one for the Warriors. 

Bears Highlights:  

Game Two 

In the second game, despite getting on the board first, the Bears could not contain the Warriors' powerful offense and lost 13-3, completing the series sweep. The Bears capitalized on fielding errors by the Warriors to get their first two batters, McKee and Berard, on base. Trent Laporte then hit a double to left field, scoring McKee, and Cade Israel grounded out to drive in Berard. 

The Warriors quickly tied the game and then surged ahead, scoring five runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-2 lead. They added another run in the second inning, four runs in the third, and two runs in the fourth to take a commanding 12-2 advantage. The Bears managed to stave off the run rule in the fifth inning after Kenneth Berard was hit by a pitch. He was replaced on the base path by Ben Switzer, who advanced to second on a ground out by Trent Laporte, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored when Brecken Bordelon grounded out to the shortstop. 

The Warriors added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning to seal the 13-3 run-rule victory and complete the series sweep against the Bears. 

Evan McDaniel started on the mound for the Bears and took the loss, pitching 4 innings and allowing 12 runs (8 earned) on 11 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. James T. Lewis pitched 0.1 innings in relief. L. Willis started for the Warriors and earned the win, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing 2 runs (0 earned) on 4 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 2. N. Haas and L. Moore pitched in relief for the Warriors. 

The Warriors outhit the Bears 14 to 4, and the Bears committed 3 errors compared to 2 for the Warriors. 

Bears Highlights:  

With these two losses, the Bears fell to 0-22 for the season, while the Warriors improved to 23-3. East Central now leads the all-time series with 17 wins to 7 losses over Baton Rouge. 

Next Up 

The Bears will travel to Beaumont, Texas, to take on the South Suburban Bulldogs at Lamar University on Thursday, March 12, 2026. 

Follow Us 

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