By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Getting the last word usually wins the argument. Bedford North Lawrence was great in debate mode. The Stars had an answer for every issue North Posey posed.
Great pitching? BNL won that point with Cam Gates in mow-down mode. Every time North Posey scored, the Stars had a counterpoint. Two-out offense? BNL could not be refuted. In matter, method and manner, the Stars were flawless.
Gates struck out 12 during a complete-game gem, and the Stars scored five runs with two outs while posting a 7-3 victory over the Vikings on Saturday. J.J. Lirot was clutch with a pair of two-out RBI hits as BNL (7-6) conquered a quality opponent with arguably its most complete performance of the season.
“Two-out runs get you to heaven in baseball,” BNL coach Steven McNabb said. “We had a lot of those. We executed some small ball, moved guys over and got two-out, timely hits. That’s baseball.“
BNL took a 1-0 lead in the second when Lirot lined a RBI double to left. The Vikings (10-6) came back with two runs in the third on singles by Ben Freeman and Remington Johnson, a sacrifice bunt from Davin Sullivan, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly by Grant Cullman.
The Stars responded immediately as Riley Sons followed two walks with a two-out single. BNL retook the lead in the fourth as Reece Goodgame singled and later scored, but North Posey pulled even again in the fourth on Sullivan’s two-out RBI single.
BNL finally made its major point in the fifth with three runs, all with two outs. Lirot smacked a RBI single, Goodgame reached on an infield hit, Lirot scored on a wild pitch, and Gates came through with a run-scoring hit for a 6-3 advantage. BNL closed the scoring in the sixth as Jaden Gilbert walked, stole second and third, and came home on a wild pitch.
Gates was throwing smoke and strikes with his fastball. He scattered six hits and walked only two.
“It all starts on the mound,” McNabb said. “Cam was working efficiently, throwing strikes, and everything goes off of that.”
“I’ve caught Cam most of my life,” said Sons, who had a front-row seat for the show behind the plate. “It was just another day back there. He was throwing good pitches, getting guys out.”
The bottom of BNL’s order (Lirot, Sons and Goodgame) accounted for six hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Gates was 3 for 3 in the leadoff spot.
“The two-out runs gets us up, keeps the energy going,” Sons said. “We win ballgames. This was big, keeping momentum rolling.”
Sullivan and Freeman had two hits each for the Vikings, who got cooled off after winning six of their last seven.
“I was proud of our guys for finding a way,” McNabb said. “I’m excited for what that can do for us.”
BNL will start a busy week by hosting New Albany on Monday. The Stars will learn their postseason fate when the IHSAA conducts the state tournament draw on Sunday.
