Bridgeport's Robert Shields Wins 1,000th Game in 15-5 Victory over Robert C. Byrd
By Michael Minnich on May 06, 2026
Four balloons with the digits ‘1-0-0-0’ were tied out of view of the press box at Staton Field at Robert C. Byrd on Tuesday.
Two escaped, but that was about all that didn’t go according to plan for the Bridgeport Indians baseball program as Robert Shields picked up the huge milestone victory, 15-5, in six innings over the Flying Eagles.
Shields was characteristically quick to deflect the credit.
“It’s special, but the main concern is trying to be on the field June 13 in Huntington (for the state championship),” Shields said. “Past teams and kids that cared, that put forth an effort, hard-working boys, just the attitude coming from class to class, that’s what’s made this so special.”
Shields’ twin passions during 38 years at the helm?
“I just love the kids and I love the sport. I like all sports, I coach them all, but it’s just something with this program. It’s come a long way from when I took over to where it is now. All the past players were a part of that,” Shields said.
And a lot of those past players were with Shields on this day, whether in person or in spirit, it was all the same.
“That means a lot. That’s a good question,” Shields said to Joe Brocato’s query. “They call me on the phone. The ones that are true friends, those are the ones who make things special. It’s the former players that you’ve been in contact with, you’ve been at their weddings, you hang out with them when they’re adults and they support you no matter what.”
Shields joins Jefferson’s John Lowery, who is closing in on 1,500 victories, second-most nationally among active coaches, as the only two baseball coaches in the state to reach four digits.
“No way I’ll be able to catch John Lowery. But to have him two weeks ago take a picture with me, which he already sent me in the mail, and have one in his office with he and I from a few years ago, being able to coach North-South games and be accepted by those guys when I was really young in the early 90s, that was important to me. That showed me the those are the type of people I wanted to be around.
“My father (Timbuck) was another thing that groomed me and taught me well.”
When asked about win No. 1, Shields was immediately detailed.
“It was 1987 versus WI at Bridgeport’s field. Cold day. And I tagged a guy up from third base on a ball short from right field and the catcher dropped it and we won the ball game,” Shields said.
Fitting the win 999 after that came against the school that WI merged into.
Bridgeport took the lead in the top of the first inning as Owen Sondericker singled with two outs and scored on Kasen Baun’s triple to center, with Baun narrowly thrown out at the plate going for the inside-the-parker.
RCB threatened in the bottom of the second as Saverio Destito was hit by the pitch and Jaxson Maglowski singled sharply to short.
Baun, though, did well to keep the ball in front of him, not allowing courtesy runner AJ Fordyce to move to third.
That proved key as, after Anderson Levake bunted both runners into scoring position, Bridgeport starter Blake Butcher blew away Owen O’Mara and Reed Lowther to end the inning with the lead still 1-0.
Luke Rohrig worked a walk to start the Tribe third, then Jax McNally singled.
Sondericker followed with an RBI single to double the lead
Walks to Baun and Guy Avolio forced in a run, then Cole Arnett hit the ball hard back up the middle off of RCB pitcher Levake’s foot.
Levake tried to go home for the force out, but thew high, allowing Sondericker and Baun to score.
Brooks Vass’ single knocked in Avolio and Arnett: 7-0.
Aidan Dunn’s RBI double pushed the cushion to 8-0, then Rohrig tripled home both runners and came all the way around for a 10-run inning and an 11-0 lead.
The Eagles extended the game in the bottom of the fifth.
Sam Webber walked and scored on a Cooper Floyd triple to center, then Ashton Shaffer’s sacrifice fly plated Floyd, then, after Carvelli reached on a hit by pitch, Destito hit a two-run home run: 11-4.
Bridgeport, though, restored its 11-run lead in the top of the sixth with four two-out runs, highlighted by Cooper Straley’s two-RBI single and an RBI single by Dunn.
It’s the fourth straight game that Bridgeport has scored 11 or more runs.
Rohrig finished with three RBIs and Vass, Straley and Dunn each drove in two.
Sondericker was 3-for-3 with three runs and Rohrig, Avolio and Straley all scored twice.
Butcher struck out 12 batters in a complete game for the win.
Robert C. Byrd (18-8) visits University on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Bridgeport (25-4) is at Morgantown on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and home against Lincoln on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before a makeup game next week against North Marion, the Tribe’s final tuneup before regionals.
“I’m proud of this group. They’ve exceeded my expectations…25 out of 29 is special,” Shields said. “But the job’s not finished right now. We have a goal in mind.”
Editor's Note: Photos by Joe LaRocca.
