By Tony Adams
Belton Journal
The Lake Belton Baseball squad traveled to the Fort Worth area last weekend to take part in the Drew Medford Memorial Tournament.
The tournament is named in honor of the former Fort Worth Paschal baseball standout who lost his life in a car accident six years ago before his freshman year at TCU.
Lake Belton’s start at the tournament was postponed on Thursday in Aledo, as rain and lightning cancelled their games against Weatherford and Aledo.
The Broncos made it back to Aledo for Friday’s matchups against L.D. Bell and Nolan Catholic.
In the opener against Bell, the Broncos erased a one-run margin with a trio of runs in the third and fourth innings, as Lake downed the Blue Raiders, 6-2.
Matt Stanford worked his way out of a jam in the top of the second, when he induced a fly out with runners on first and second.
The Broncos scored three runs in the bottom of the third. Zavian Rodriguez scored on a passed ball, Brandon Bell drew a bases-loaded walk, and Peyton Flanagan scored on a wild pitch.
Rodriguez’s double in the bottom of the fourth scored Kaden Ward, Flanagan doubled home Rodriguez, and Peanut Brazzle’s groundout scored Bryce Davis to give the Broncos a 6-1 lead.
Flanagan had two of Lake’s six hits.
Stanford picked up the win on the mound, as he allowed one run on six hits, and struck out three. Clint Beck pitched three innings in relief, allowed one run on four hits, and struck out four.
Against Nolan Catholic, the Broncos busted open a pitcher’s duel with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Vikings, 7-0.
Brandon Holley allowed three hits and struck out six Vikings over six innings for the win.
The Broncos started their scoring in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Brazzle. Beck’s RBI single scored Davis, Braxtan Cope’s single scored Joseph Higgins and Brazzle, Ward’s single scored Beck and Cope, and Flanagan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Ward to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead. Time ran out during Brazzle’s next at bat to end the game.
Flanagan and Cope each had two hits in the Broncos’ eight-hit outing.
On Saturday, the Broncos traveled to Fort Worth Country Day to take on Azle and Mansfield.
The Broncos used a seven-run attack over the first two innings to down the Hornets in six innings, 10-2.
Beck’s two-run single in the bottom of the first put Lake on the board first.
Flanagan’s RBI single in the second inning started the Broncos’ five-run second. A bases-loaded walk to Beck, two-run double by Cope, and RBI groundout by Bartz increased Lake’s lead to 7-0.
Azle’s two-run third was answered by the Broncos in the bottom of the inning. Brazzle’s RBI single and Bell’s RBI double re-established the Broncos’ seven-run lead.
Ward’s single in the bottom of the six scored Higgins to wrap up the game.
Jarryn Pettyjohn picked up the win on the mound, as he, Tate Lisenbe, and Cope combined to pitch six innings, allowed two runs on four hits, walked four, and struck out seven.
The Broncos ended the tournament with a matchup against the Mansfield Tigers.
Locked in another pitcher’s duel, the Tigers scored a run in the top of the seventh to edge the Broncos, 2-1.
Bell’s double in the bottom of the first scored Davis to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead.
Cooper Dunnagan scored on a passed ball in the top of the fifth to tie the game.
The Tigers loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the seventh inning. Jaxon Wiley’s sacrifice fly out scored Dunnagan for the go-ahead run.
Lake had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the seventh when Nick Cardenas struck out Rodriguez to end the game.
Mason Law took the hard-luck loss for the Broncos, having allowed an unearned run on five hits, and struck out nine over five-plus innings. Flanagan pitched two innings of relief, allowed an unearned run on two hits, walked one, and struck out one.
“It was a great tournament against unconventional opponents,” Lake Belton head coach Chris Peacock said. “It has prepared us for the district schedule ahead.”
Beck was awarded a Drew Medford Memorial Scholarship for his outstanding play in the tournament.
The Broncos will take on Shoemaker in District 22-5A action this week, as Lake will host the Grey Wolves on Tuesday and Shoemaker will host the Broncos on Friday at Charger 6 Field.
