Bears fall in midweek to the Holmes Bulldogs

Wednesday, April 9, 2025: Baseball 

Goodman, MS  

The Baton Rouge Bears traveled to Goodman, Mississippi, to face the Holmes Community College Bulldogs at Charlie Donald Field. Unfortunately, the Bears dropped both games of the doubleheader, losing 8-3 in the first game and 2-1 in the second. 

Game One 

A slow start doomed the Bears in their first game against the Bulldogs. Holmes struck first, scoring three runs in the first inning, one in the second, and two in the third to take a commanding 6-0 lead.  

The Bears finally got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning when Jacob Covington led off with a walk and scored on a Brayden Bertucci single to right field, trimming the deficit to 6-1. The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the sixth inning, extending their lead to 8-1. 

As in previous games, the Bears fought until the end, scoring two runs in the seventh inning. Kaiden Broussard reached base due to a Holmes error, and Hudson Heltz followed with a walk, putting Bears on first and second. Jacob Covington then hit a double to left field, driving in both Broussard and Heltz. However, it wasn't enough, and the Bears lost the first game 8-3. 

Grant Porche started on the mound for the Bears and took the loss, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing 7 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits, with 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. Dylan Cedotal pitched 0.1 innings in relief. E. Trimble was the winning pitcher for the Bulldogs, going 5 innings and allowing 1 run on 5 hits, with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts.  

Holmes outhit Baton Rouge 11 to 6, and both teams made one error in the game. 

Bears Highlights:  

Jacob Covington went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs and 1 walk  

Jackson Martin went 1 for 4  

Dillion Bird went 1 for 3  

Brayden Bertucci went 1 for 3  

Conner Kleinpeter went 1 for 3  

Hudson Heltz had a 1 run and 2 walks  

Kaiden Broussard had a 1 run 

Game Two 

In the second game, both teams struggled offensively, with excellent performances from the starting pitchers. A pivotal moment came in the sixth inning when a bad pitch allowed A. Conley to hit a home run, giving Holmes a 2-1 lead. 

For the first two innings, both teams faced the minimum number of batters due to outstanding pitching by Tanner Cranford for the Bears and J. Buckner for Holmes. The Bears scored first in the third inning when Shawn Driggers was hit by a pitch and Jake Brouillette walked. Driggers later scored on a groundout by Layne Swanson. 

Holmes tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. In the sixth, A. Conley's home run gave the Bulldogs the lead. The Bears continued to battle and managed to get two runners on base in the seventh inning, with Kenneth Berard and Aidan Macado both hitting singles. However, the Bulldogs recorded two strikeouts and a flyout to end the Bears' threat and the game. 

Tanner Cranford started for the Bears, pitching 4 innings and allowing 1 run (0 earned) on no hits, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. Jack Cowan pitched 2 innings in relief and took the loss, allowing 1 run on 3 hits with 1 strikeout. J. Buckner was the winning pitcher for the Bulldogs, throwing 7 innings and giving up 1 run on 2 hits, with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts. 

Holmes outhit Baton Rouge 3 to 2, and both teams committed one error. 

Bears Highlights:  

Kenneth Berard went 1 for 3  

Aidan Macado went 1 for 3  

Shawn Driggers had1 run  

Jake Brouillette had 1 walk 

With these losses, the Bears' record fell to 4-33, while the Bulldogs improved to 25-14. Despite the losses, Baton Rouge still leads the all-time series against Holmes with 12 wins and 8 losses. 

The Bears will return to conference play this weekend, April 12-13, when they welcome the #1 team in the country, the LSUE Bengals, to Pete Goldsby Field for a three-game series.  

For more information on the Bears baseball team, follow us on Twitter at @BRCC_Baseball and on Instagram and Facebook at @BRCCAthletics