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Wildcats wrap one-win season with district loss to Hume
LOCKWOOD — There is a science to coaching high school baseball.
You have to find the right chemistry in your lineup.
You’re always experimenting with the pitching rotation.
And more often than not, the results never match your hypothesis.
For Bronaugh skipper Fred Lundien, he felt like he was in the lab for the entire 2021 season, and though his Wildcats were bounced from the Class 1 District 6 tournament Friday, he knows, like any good scientist, that the solution — in this case, to turning his baseball team into a contender — is just waiting to be discovered.
“The makings of a good baseball team, it’s in the DNA somewhere. We’re just trying to put all the codings together to make it happen,” said Lundien, whose team, the no. 5 seed in the bracket, played one of its best ballgames of the season but ultimately lost 6-2 to no. 4 Hume. “It’s still the little mistakes they make, but they got better.”
Of course, Bronaugh’s best game of the year was its 33-4 win over Sheldon in the season opener, which marked the program’s first victory since 2016. The Wildcats lost their next 14 contests, though, with their two closest regular-season games coming against the Hornets (8-6).
Friday’s postseason tilt, with both teams’ seasons on the line, was no exception.
Hume got things started with one run in the first and two more in the second — but a play at the plate by Bronaugh’s defense ended that inning before the Hornets could do any more damage. Logan Brooks ripped a two-out single to left field that scored teammate Blake Steuck, but BHS left fielder Luke Ayers came up firing, hitting shortstop Gavin Cox for the relay throw home, which arrived in catcher Logyn Rainey’s glove in time to tag out Beriah Morrison, who was attempting to score from first base.
The Wildcats weren’t able to convert the momentum into any immediate offense in the top of the third (Hume pitcher Peyton McFrederick struck out the first two batters) — but Cox was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a failed pick-off throw. Just like that, it was a two-run game.
Bronaugh senior Kyle Harrell did his best to keep Hume at bay, allowing one more run in the home half of the frame and two more in the fifth. Harrell threw all six innings and finished with six strikeouts.
“I was just locating the fastball, trying to get good spots. Really, just location,” said Harrell, who may have finished his high school career with just one win (the aforementioned blowout over Sheldon), but it was enough for him to look back on the team's 1-14 season with fondness. “It was just a weight off our shoulders. After five years, finally getting that first win as a high-schooler, it made us have hope for the season. It was the best season we’ve had in five, six years, so it feels pretty good.”
Harrell was also excited about the future of the team, which will include not only Cox but also sophomore Tanner Wait, who belted an RBI single in the sixth for the Wildcats’ lone other run (scored by Harrell, no less).
“And we have a couple of eighth-graders coming up who I think are going to be really good players. So, the future’s looking bright,” said Harrell, who shared a hug with each of his teammates after the game. “It was really tough, really tough. I have a great relationship with every single one of these kids. It’s going to be hard leaving them. They always got my back, and I’ve got theirs.”
Lundien had Harrell’s back, as well, after watching his pitcher’s effort on the bump.
“Kyle pitched a darn good game. If you looked at the stats and the way he pitched, you’d think he won that game. He did his job, and he did very well today,” said Lundien, who also said goodbye to seniors Ayers, Rainey, Garrett Earnest, Zevin George, Trevor Vance, and Monty Blom. “At the end of the day, they’re all just darn good kids. They want to be here. They want to work hard. I’m pretty sure they really wanted to win. It just wasn’t in the cards. As long as they want to keep getting better, I’ll coach those kids any day of the week.
“They know me by now. I’m a coach and I’m just going to coach them. I’m not going to sugarcoat anything. If I’m mad, it’s because I’m mad at the situation. I’m mad mostly because I just hate to lose. I will never be mad because I don’t like them or anything like that. I love those kids and I think they understand that. I’m very proud of how they handled me and how they handled themselves. It was a really good year, and they’re really darn good kids.”