By Tony Adams
Belton Journal
The 2024 installment of the Belton vs. Lake Belton baseball series concluded on Friday night at Tidwell Field.
The Broncos won the opening game of the series on Apr. 16, 5-1.
Peyton Flanagan and Braxtan Cope each homered, as Mason Law twirled a one-hitter as the Broncos run-ruled the Tigers, 16-0.
With the victory, the Broncos clinched the District 22-5A championship, joining the Lake Belton Softball in clinch four consecutive district titles in their first four years of the program.
After a quiet first inning, the Broncos responded with a six-run second inning off Belton starting pitcher Easton Drake. Cope singled home Kaden Ward to start the scoring. Bryce Davis’ double to deep centerfield scored Cameron Bartz and Cope. On the next pitch, Flanagan’s towering shot over the left-centerfield wall made the score 6-0.
Belton kept the score close in the top of the third inning, as they turned a double play to escape trouble.
The Broncos tacked on three runs in the fourth inning. Bases loaded walks to Ward and Bartz, and Brandon Bell scored on a wild pitch to increase Lake’s lead to 9-0.
Aaron Wood collected Belton’s lone base hit to start the bottom of the fourth. However, Law induced a line out and fly out, to go with a strikeout to strand Wood on base.
Lake’s seven-run fifth inning was a strong finish for the Broncos. After two walks sandwiched around a single, Brett Shadrick came on in relief of Jacob Quigley. Tanner Jones drew a bases-loaded walk. Joseph Higgins and Jones scored on passed balls, and Mason Trovinger scored on a wild pitch. Cope’s three-run homer completed the scoring for Lake Belton.
Law struck out the Tigers in order in the fifth to register the complete game one-hitter, as he struck out eight.
Davis, Flanagan, and Bell each had two hits as part of the Broncos’ 11-hit attack. Flanagan and Cope each had three RBI, and Davis added two runs batted in.
“It was a great offensive night against a competitive team,” Lake Belton head coach Chris Peacock said. “This is a hard-working team and have been driven to get back to a district championship.”
On Tuesday, the Broncos began their series against Ellison and the Tigers commenced their series against Killeen.
