Baseball sweeps non-league doubleheader, big week ahead

A rainout on April 13 spoiled a home doubleheader for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos baseball team against rival Reardan, but the Broncos were still able to enjoy a doubleheader sweep last week, shutting down the Mary Walker Chargers at home on April 9 in non-league play.

Sophomore Drew Kelly got the nod in the first game of the doubleheader for the Broncos, pitching 3.1 innings, giving up two hits and one unearned run while striking out five Mary Walker batters. Senior Bryce Hansen came in to pitch the final 3.2 innings, striking out nine batters and only giving up one hit.

Junior Spencer Miller had the hot bat for the Broncos in the first game, going 3-3 with a double. Hilzer said Miller's bat is really coming around as of late, which is good for a team that head coach Jason Hilzer said he was worried might not hit great at the start of the season. The Broncos won the first game, 8-1.

Hilzer also put his baserunners in motion in the first game, and wanted his team to be aggressive on the basepaths. "Sometimes it's hard when you've got a really good catcher on the other side, and you don't know how much we're going to steal," Hilzer said. He also noted that all of the activity on the basepaths got in the opposing pitcher's head, which made a difference as well.

Senior Bryce Kelly got the start in the second game of the doubleheader, pitching three innings of no-hit baseball while striking out six batters and giving up one run. Freshman Owen Telecky pitched the final four innings, giving up one hit and striking out three.

Miller continued his big day at the dish in game No. 2 of the doubleheader, going 1-1 with a triple. Sophomore Jay Harder and junior Cole Cameron each also ripped doubles in the second game, which the Broncos ended up winning 11-1 to complete the sweep and move to 4-5 on the season (0-4 in league play).

Hilzer was pleased to get some innings in on the mound for the Kelly brothers, who hadn't pitched in some time. Bryce Kelly hadn't pitched in a game since the doubleheader against the Davenport Gorillas on March 26.

The home doubleheader against the Reardan Indians was rescheduled for April 16, and coverage of the tilt will be included in next week's issue of The Journal. The games will have a sizable effect on determining playoff seeding, and Hilzer said that he expects his team to sweep Reardan.

The Broncos will also play another league doubleheader later this week, as they will travel to Liberty to take on the Liberty Lancers on April 20. The first pitch of the first game of the doubleheader is set for 12 p.m. The Broncos will solidify themselves as the No. 3 team in the Northeast 2B South Division if it sweeps both Reardan and Liberty this week.

In non-league action this week, LRS will host the Odessa Tigers on Thursday for a single game. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The Broncos lost 9-0 to Odessa in Odessa earlier in the season on March 28. Hilzer says that game will be a good opportunity to get some action for players who aren't getting much playing time in meaningful league games.