Thursday, May 7, 2026: Baseball

Westwego, LA 

The #4 seed Baton Rouge Bears faced off against the #1 seed LSUE Bengals this afternoon at Segnette Field to kick off the 2026 Region XXIII Division I Baseball Tournament. The Bears initially jumped out to a strong start, taking an early lead, but the Bengals rallied late to defeat the Bears 15-8.

The Bears kicked things off with power in the first inning, as Kenneth Berard and Trent Laporte hit solo home runs to give Baton Rouge a 2-0 lead. In the top of the third inning, the Bears extended their lead to 4-0. Keegan Kelsey led off with a single up the middle, followed by a walk to Kenneth Berard. Brayden Bertucci then hit another single up the middle to drive in Kelsey, and Trent Laporte hit a double to left field to score Berard.

The Bears struck again in the top of the fourth, bringing their lead to 6-0. Cayden Vice led off with a double but was forced out at second when Cooper Martin hit into a fielder's choice. Martin later scored on Kenneth Berard's second home run of the game.

The Bengals finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring four runs to cut the deficit to 6-4. They continued their momentum in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three more runs to take a 7-6 lead over the Bears.

However, the Bears reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth inning with two runs, making it 8-7. Keegan Kelsey hit a single to right field and scored on Kenneth Berard's third home run of the game. The Bengals responded by plating one run in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at eight.

A. Clapinski hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh, putting the Bengals back in the lead at 10-8. They added another run that inning to increase their lead to 11-8, and went on to score four more runs in the bottom of the eighth, finalizing the score at 15-8 to secure the victory.

Evan McDaniel started on the mound for the Bears, pitching 3.2 innings and allowing 4 runs on 9 hits while walking 1 and striking out 4. Spencer Srubar (1.0 innings), Chandler Moreau (0.1 innings), Scott Recile (2.2 innings), and Jayse Degruy (0.1 innings) pitched in relief for the Bears, with Scott Recile taking the loss after allowing 7 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits while walking 4 and striking out 2. H. Spangler started on the mound for the Bengals, with M. Jacobs, M. Gallien, and H. Gambel pitching in relief. M. Jacobs was credited with the victory.

The Bengals outhit the Bears 19 to 14, and the Bears committed 3 errors in the game. 

Bears Highlights:

- Keegan Kelsey: 2 for 5 with 2 runs 

- Kenneth Berard: 3 for 4 with 4 runs, 5 RBIs, 1 BB, and 3 home runs 

- Brayden Bertucci: 1 for 5 with 1 RBI 

- Trent Laporte: 4 for 5 with 1 run and 2 RBIs 

- Brecken Bordelon: 1 for 5 

- Hudson Heltz: 2 for 4 with 1 BB 

- Cayden Vice: 1 for 4 

- Cooper Martin: 1 HBP and 1 run 

With the loss, the Bears fall to 5-48, while the Bengals improve to 42-9. LSUE leads the all-time series against Baton Rouge with 88 wins to 16 losses.

Next Up:

The Bears will face the loser of the #2 Delgado Dolphins and #3 Nunez Pelicans on Friday, May 8, at 2 PM at Segnette Field. Delgado defeated Nunez 1-0 in tonight's nightcap, meaning the Bears will face the Pelicans in a winner-takes-all elimination game. 

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