Bears swept by Bobcats in home doubleheader

Friday, February 21, 2025: Baseball 

Baton Rouge, LA  

The Baton Rouge Bears and the Jones College Bobcats began a four-game home-and-home series this afternoon at Pete Goldsby Field. The Bobcats swept the Bears, winning both games with scores of 6-2 and 20-9. 

Game One  

In the first game of today's doubleheader at Pete Goldsby Field, Jones College defeated Baton Rouge 6-2.  

The Bears scored first, taking the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Dillion Bird hit a double off the left centerfield wall and scored when Jackson Martin doubled into the gap. After one inning, the Bears led 1-0. 

In the third inning, Jones responded with a double by Chesley Rhodes. He advanced to third on a Bears' error and then scored by stealing home. The Bobcats added three runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Two of those runs came from a two-run homer hit by W.C. Manuel that went out to left field. Jones added another run in the fifth inning, increasing their lead over Baton Rouge to 5-1, and scored one more run in the seventh inning, making the score 6-1. 

The Bears attempted a comeback in the seventh inning but managed only one run. Jackson Martin led off with a walk and scored on an Aidan Machado double to right field, resulting in a final score of 6-2 in favor of the Bobcats. 

Cole Cranford started on the mound for the Bears, pitching five innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits, along with two walks and five strikeouts. Owen Ponthieux pitched two innings in relief for the Bears. TJ Dunsford started for the Bobcats and earned the victory, pitching six innings and allowing two runs on two hits while walking two and striking out seven. 

The Bobcats outhit the Bears 8 to 3, and the Bears committed two errors. 

Bears Highlights  

Dillion Bird went 1 for 2 with 1 run and 1 walk 

Jackson Martin went 1 for 2 with 1 run and 1 RBI 

Aidan Machado went 1 for 3 with 1 RBI 

Game Two 

Jones College defeated Baton Rouge 20-9 in the second game of today's doubleheader, benefiting from two significant innings. 

Jones took a commanding 6-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on some inconsistent pitching by the Bears. Though Baton Rouge responded with two runs in the bottom of the frame, they still trailed 6-2. Jake Brouillette led off with a double and advanced to third on Kenneth Berard's double. Brouillette scored on a ground out by Jackson Martin, marking the Bears' first run. Dillon Bird then hit a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Berard to score from third. 

In the second inning, Jones added three more runs, pushing their lead to 9-3 despite the Bears scoring again in the bottom of the inning. Trent Laporte and Dylan Cedotal each walked, and Laporte scored when Brouillette hit into a fielder's choice. 

The Bobcats exploded for nine runs in the third inning, extending their lead to 18-3. The Bears continued to fight back, scoring four runs in the fourth inning to narrow the gap to 18-7. Aidan Machado led off with a single, followed by a walk to Peyton Chiasson. Jacob Covington's single up the middle brought Machado home. Trent Laporte then walked to load the bases. Dylan Cedotal drove in Chiasson with another walk, and Brouillette's fly out allowed Covington to score after tagging up at third. Dillon Bird added another run with a walk, making it four runs for the Bears in the inning. 

Jones added two more runs in the fifth inning to bring the score to 20-7. The Bears faced a challenging situation in the bottom of the fifth, needing at least four runs to keep the game going. They managed to score two runs but fell short, resulting in a 20-9 loss due to the five-inning run rule. 

Briggs Ardoin started on the mound for the Bears and took the loss, pitching one inning and allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits while walking two. Tyler Ferguson (1.1 innings), Grayson Davis (1.0 innings), and Kaiden Broussard (1.2 innings) pitched in relief. For the Bobcats, Drew Lambert earned the victory, pitching three innings and allowing three runs on one hit, with four walks and one strikeout. 

Jones College outhit Baton Rouge 14-4, with the Bears committing two errors and the Bobcats one. 

Bears Highlights  

Jake Brouillette had 2 RBIs and 1 run 

Kenneth Berard went 1 for 3 with 1 run 

Jackson Martin had 1 RBI 

Dillion Bird had 2 RBIs 

Aidan Machado went 1 for 2 with 1 run 

Peyton Chiasson had 2 runs 

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

Cooper Martin went 1 for 1 with 1 run and 1 RBI 

Trent Laporte had 2 runs 

Dylan Cedotal had 2 RBIs 

With the loss, the Bears fell to 3-15, while the Bobcats improved to 8-2 on the season. Jones leads the all-time series with 40 wins to Baton Rouge's 14 losses.  

The Bears and Bobcats will conclude their four-game series on Monday, moving to Jones College in Ellisville, Mississippi. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3 PM at Community Bank Park. 

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