By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Trouble shadowed Cam Gates on the mound like a private detective. He could sense it, feeling the heaviness of constant stress. Somehow, with the nerves of a con artist and the grit of a fearless competitor, he got out of more predicaments than a mobster with a great attorney.
Big problems? Big outs. The defense never rested, in fact Bedford North Lawrence third baseman Jett Alvey made one of the great plays in program history – considering the situation. And when the final out was recorded, Gates exploded with a roar that released all that volcanic emotion.
With Gates holding court, with clutch hits from Gates and Cutler Chastain that produced key runs, the Stars slid past nemesis Floyd Central with a thrilling 2-1 triumph in the Class 4A sectional semifinal on Saturday afternoon. BNL (15-9) advanced to the championship to face Jeffersonville on Monday night.
BNL, chasing its first sectional title since 2017 and the 15th in program history, avenged one of the darkest days ever, a season-opening 20-2 loss to the Highlanders (18-9) on March 31. In fact, the Stars had not conquered Floyd since 2019, losing five straight by a 44-10 combined score. That’s why Gates erupted and his teammates danced on the infield. Two months later, they continue to dream about destiny.
“After they beat us, this was a huge win,” Gates said. “I was fired up.”
The Stars scored in the third. Gates led off with an infield single and reached second on a Jackson Jones groundout. Chastain connected for a sharp double to the left-center gap to chase home the run. In the fourth, J.J. Lirot walked and stole second, and Riley Sons dropped a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, the Highlanders dared to tangle with Gates at the plate, and he made them pay with a RBI single for a 2-0 advantage.
That would be the extent of the BNL offense. Gates made sure it was enough.
“We knew it would be a low-scoring game,” BNL coach Steven McNabb said. “If we were going to have a chance to win, it had to be that kind of game.
“We knew we needed good pitching – check box one. What can you say about Cam? He’s the best player in the conference for a reason. I think most coaches would agree with me. All-around, he’s been great all year.”
Floyd certainly had its chances. Gates allowed the leadoff man to reach in five of the seven innings. Of his 115 pitches, only 69 were strikes as he labored a little. The Highlanders twice had the bases loaded. BNL cut down three runners on the bases.
“I was definitely struggling to get ahead and stay ahead,” Gates said. “I kept telling myself, ‘Let’s go.’ Man, I was working on the fastball. And the defense was working.“
BNL’s infield made key plays. Jones, back at shortstop after missing a month with a bad back, tagged out Floyd’s Luke Jacobi after Jacobi overslid the bag while stealing second. Jones also combined with Alvey to get Jaxon Stone in a rundown after Stone slid too far past second and had to bolt for third.
But the play with the game, of the season, of this century, came in the sixth.
Stone started the frame with walk, and pinch runner Noah Baker raced home when Trayden Combs cranked a line-drive double to left. A passed ball allowed Combs to take third with only one out. With a 2-1 count, Nolan Kennedy attempted to drop a squeeze bunt as Combs broke for the plate. Alvey came flying in from third and made a full-length, spectacular, do-or-die dive to snag the bunt in the air, then turned and fired to Jones covering third to double off the runner.
“I just had to go make a play,” Alvey said. “I saw it in the air and had to dive. All the adrenaline in the world just came rushing.“
“That was one of the best plays of our season on the defensive side,” McNabb said. “That play, what an absolute web gem, a Top 10 on Sportscenter.”
Gates cruised through the seventh (only his second 1-2-3 frame all day). He finished with nine strikeouts and worked around five walks (one intentional). Kennedy led Floyd with two hits.
“We had our chances and didn’t get the big hit when we needed it,” Floyd coach Casey LaDuke said. “When you’re playing a good team like that, in the sectional, you can’t miss on those chances. Gates was just good. He’s a competitor. When you put that on the mound, that can mean a lot.”
Gates was 4 for 4 at the plate while Jones had two hits. He had another taken away when he scorched a line drive to third that turned into a double play in the sixth.
“It wasn’t the prettiest as far as Baserunning 101 goes,” McNabb said. “We were fortunate enough to have the lead at the end. That’s Sectional 15 baseball right there. We win as a team, we lose as a team. Total team effort. We had timely hitting and played good defense.”
BNL will now be the hunted, as the Red Devils will seek to avenge a 3-2 loss to the Stars in the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament championship on May 15. The Stars have momentum, having won four straight games and eight of their last nine to reach this point.
”We’re excited for the chance,” McNabb said. “We get a chance to make history again.”
“It’s going to be huge,” Gates said. “We’ve already won the HHC, so it would be nice to top it off with a sectional.”
Jeffersonville, looking for its first title since 2023, reached the finale with a 16-0 win over defending champion Seymour in the second semifinal.
