Bears Baseball and St Louis Archers Split Day One of Series

Saturday, February 15, 2025: Baseball 

Baton Rouge, LA  

The Baton Rouge Bears and the St. Louis Community College Archers kicked off a four-game weekend series this afternoon with a doubleheader at Pete Goldsby Field. The teams split the day's games, with the Archers winning the first game 6-4 and the Bears walking off with a thrilling 12-11 victory in the second game. 

Game One 

The Bears' comeback fell short as the Archers took game one of the doubleheader 6-4. The Archers struck first with a two-run homer to left field by N. Bronczkowski in the first inning, giving them a 2-0 lead. They added another run in the third inning, increasing their lead to 3-0. The Bears struggled to string together hits during the first four innings. St. Louis added another run in the fifth inning, extending their lead to 4-0.  

In the sixth inning, the Archers scored again, making it 5-0. D. Schuyler hit a solo homer in the seventh inning, increasing the Archers' advantage to 6-0. The Bears managed to start a rally with back-to-back singles from Kenneth Berard and Jackson Martin. Trent Laporte then hit a double, bringing in pinch-runner Swanson and Berard.  

Shawn Driggers followed with a pinch-hit single up the middle, scoring Laporte. Conner Kleinpeter drew a walk, but Driggers was caught trying to steal third for the second out of the inning. Kaiden Broussard then singled to left field, plating Kleinpeter for the Bears' fourth run of the frame. However, that would be all they could muster as they fell 6-4 to the Archers. 

Cole Cranford started on the mound for the Bears and took the loss, pitching 5 innings and allowing 4 runs on 7 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 3. Owen Ponthieux pitched 2 innings in relief. Evan Piwowarski started for the Archers and earned the victory, pitching 3.1 innings without allowing any runs on 5 hits, while walking 1 and striking out 3. 

Bears Highlights  

Kenneth Berard went 2 for 3 with 1 run and 1 walk 

Jackson Martin went 2 for 3 

Trent Laporte went 1 for 4 with 1 run and 2 RBIs 

Shawn Driggers went 1 for 1 with 1 RBI 

Hudson Heltz went 3 for 4 

Jacob Covington went 1 for 2 

Kaiden Broussard went 1 for 1 

Dylan Cedotal went 1 for 4 

Game Two 

The bats came alive for both teams in the second game, with the Bears walking off with a thrilling 12-11 victory in eight innings. Hudson Heltz provided the winning hit, a single to the left centerfield gap, bringing home the decisive run for the Bears. 

The Archers got off to a strong start, scoring seven runs in the second inning to take a commanding 7-0 lead. However, the Bears answered back, scoring two runs in the bottom of the second. Conner Kleinpeter led off by reaching base on an Archer error. Layne Swanson then moved Kleinpeter to second with a sacrifice bunt. Jacob Covington drew a walk, and Chase Kelly hit a double that brought in Kleinpeter and Covington, putting the Bears on the board at 7-2. 

The Bears continued their resurgence in the third inning, scoring three runs to narrow the gap to 7-5. Jake Brouillette led off by getting hit by a pitch, followed by Kenneth Berard's single. Jackson Martin then hit a double to score Brouillette. Conner Kleinpeter walked to load the bases, and Layne Swanson hit a sacrifice fly to bring Berard home. The third run of the inning was scored when Jackson Martin crossed the plate on a passed ball. 

The Archers added to their lead with two more runs in the fourth inning, making it 9-5. The Bears responded dramatically, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take an unexpected 10-9 lead. Jake Brouillette hit a triple to center field, scoring on Jackson Martin's double. Conner Kleinpeter's sacrifice fly brought in Kenneth Berard, who had reached base after being hit by a pitch. Shawn Driggers then hit a double, scoring Martin. Layne Swanson's bunt single allowed Driggers to score, tying the game at nine. Jacob Covington capped off the inning with a single that brought Swanson home, giving the Bears the lead. 

In the sixth inning, the Bears extended their advantage to 11-9, with Jackson Martin reaching base after being hit by a pitch and scoring on a Layne Swanson single. The Archers refused to back down, though, as N. Bonczkowski hit a two-run homer to tie the game at 11.  

With both teams unable to score in the seventh, the game went into extra innings. Grant Porche pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Bears, setting the stage for a potential walk-off win in the bottom of the frame. The Bears loaded the bases when Jackson Martin hit a single, Shawn Driggers was hit by a pitch, and Layne Swanson added another single. Hudson Heltz stepped up as a pinch-hitter and delivered the winning single to the left centerfield gap, bringing home Martin and starting the victory celebration. 

Grant Porche earned the win for the Bears, pitching 1.1 innings and allowing no runs on 2 hits while striking out one and walking another. Briggs Ardoin started for the Bears, pitching 1.2 innings and allowing 7 runs (6 earned) on 6 hits, with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Other pitchers in relief for the Bears included Nash Tamplet (1.1 innings), Joshua Jensen (0.2 innings), and Cole Veronie (3.0 innings). C. Houran pitched in relief for the Archers and took the loss. Mason Mitchell started for the Archers, pitching 3 innings and allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits, striking out 4 and walking 3. 

Baton Rouge outhit St. Louis 14 to 12, while St. Louis committed one error compared to three for the Bears. 

Bears Highlights: 

Jake Brouillette went 1 for 4 with 2 runs and a triple 

Kenneth Berard went 2 for 4 with 2 runs 

Jackson Martin went 3 for 4 with 4 runs and 2 RBIs 

Conner Kleinpeter had 1 run and 1 RBI 

Layne Swanson went 3 for 3 with 1 run and 3 RBIs 

Jacob Covington went 1 for 2 with 1 run and 1 rbi 

Hudson Heltz went 1 for 1 with 1 RBI 

Chase Kelley went 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs 

Kaiden Broussard went 1 for 1 

With this split, the Bears improved to 2-12, while the Archers improved to 1-5 on the season. Baton Rouge leads the all-time series with 24 wins and 14 losses against St. Louis. 

The Bears and Archers will conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader at 1 PM at Denham Springs High School on Sunday, February 16, 2025. 

For more information on the Bears Baseball team follow us on Twitter at (@BRCC_Baseball) and Instagram and Facebook at (BRCCAthletics)