Broncos end perfect district season

By Sandy Anderberg

The regular season is over for the Bronco baseball team. And it is ending on a perfect season in district play. The Broncos picked off each District foe one team at a time and finished at 19-5 overall. They will begin post-season play this week with time and place to be announced.

Last week, the Broncos sealed their District Championship by clobbering Nazareth and Wellington. They defeated the Swifts on the road 18-2 and finished the Rockets at home 15-3.

Chance Lockhart was on the mound for the Broncos for five innings. He gave up only two hits, while walking two and striking out four.

The Broncos had their bats going as senior Bryce Hatley had a single, a home run and accounted for six RBIs on two hits in the game. Kade Hunsaker recorded an RBI single in the first inning, and Josh Cobb slammed a two-run home run. Clay Koetting and Caleb Cobb each added an RBI double to get the scoring going for the Broncos early in the game.

The fourth and fifth innings added more runs for the Broncos as Nick Shadle had an RBI single and Preston Elam posted a double.

The Broncos picked up right where they left off in their game with Wellington. The Rockets were no match for the Broncos with Hatley and Caleb Cobb on the mound.

Offensively, the Broncos were sharp as they scored 12 runs in the first three innings. The runs were aided by several walks from the Wellington pitcher, but the Broncos had their bats humming as well. Hunsaker hit a two-run single, Hatley had an RBI single, and Cooper Bilbrey made it look easy with a RBI double. Before the game ended, Nick Shadle hit a huge two-run triple to seal the win.

“I was very pleased with the game,” coach Brad Elam said. “But we did make a few too many mistakes. We went 10-0 in district, which is a great accomplishment for these players. I am grateful to the seniors for all they have done and thankful for the great fan support. We had a great crowd at the game and we were glad we able to put on a good show for them.”