No. 2 Bengals surge past No. 1 Hinds in regional

Being designated as the visiting team in their home stadium proved advantageous for the LSU Eunice Bengals in their game against Hinds Community College Friday night in the Division II Region 23 Baseball Tournament.
A five-run first inning got the Bengals started en route to a 10-6 win to advance to the championship game.
LSU Eunice had to win just one game to advance to the World Series that starts Saturday in Enid, Okla.
The Bengals’ fast started chased Eagles’ starting pitcher Houston Case after only five batters on their way to a five-run inning. Brennan Bozeman led off the inning with a single and Cade Stone coaxed a walk off Case.
Case managed to strike out Steven Sensley, but Will Watson singled to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Bozeman to score before Nick Coomes was hit by a pitch to again load the bases.
Case was relieved on the mound by Derek Martin, who induced Madison Nickens to hit a ground ball to third.
A throw to home plate was wild, allowing both Stone and Watson to score for a 3-0 lead. Jordan Romero’s single would later score Coomes and Nickens to give the Bengals a 5-0 lead.
Bengals’ starting pitcher Ben Braymer set down the Eagles in order in the bottom of the first inning, and his teammates rewarded him with another run in the top of the second inning. Stone singled, advanced to second on a balk, and scored on a single by Sensley to build the lead to 6-0.
The Eagles got a Braymer in the third inning. Casey Echols doubled and Matt Jones homered over the left-field fence to cut the lead to 6-2.
A single by Marshall Boggs and a home run by Chase Lunceford over the right-field fence cut the Bengals’ lead to 6-4.
LSU Eunice responded in the top of the fourth with three runs. Trenon Trosclair reached base when he was hit by a pitch and advanced to second base on a balk.
Trosclair went to third on a single by Bozeman and scored on a single by Stone. After Sensley was hit by a pitch,
Watson singled home Bozeman and Stone scored when Coomes reached safely on a fielders’ choice grounder. The Bengals held a 9-4 lead.
Doubles by Jordan Washam and Echols gave the Eagles a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Braymer limited the damage by getting ground ball outs from Quade Smith and Jones to end the inning and keep the score at 9-5.
The Bengals’ lefty would shut out the Eagles over the next two innings before allowing an unearned run in the seventh to cut the lead to 9-6.
The Bengals got that run back in the top of the eighth. Romero was hit by a pitch and eventually scored on an infield error to put the Bengals up 10-6.
Bengals’ relief pitcher Zack Hamilton made that lead hold up by shutting out Hinds over the final two innings.
Bengals’ head coach Jeff Willis praised his team for answering back each time the Eagles scored. “We responded every time they scored, keeping them from getting any momentum.”
Willis also praised the effort of Braymer, who worked seven innings, scattering nine hits while recording seven strikeouts. “He gave us a quality start, working out of that jam in the third inning to keep the lead. He pitched extremely well.”
Bozeman, Stone, and Watson had two hits apiece to lead the Bengals on offense. Echols led the Eagles with three hits, including two doubles. Jones and Jonathan Washam added two hits apiece for the Eagles.