Indians Move Up in Class AAA Power Rankings; Improve to 12-2 Following 7-5 Win Against Lincoln
By Chris Johnson on April 16, 2024 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
The Bridgeport High School baseball team has moved up to No. 2 in the WV MetroNews Class AAA power rankings (complete power rankings for all three classes can be found HERE).
The Indians are 12-2 following Monday’s 7-5 victory against Lincoln.
The Indians built a 3-0 lead on sacrifice flies from Antonio Spagnuolo and Jack Gould and an RBI single from Jacob Stavrakis.
After Lincoln would bounce back and take a 4-3 lead, Stavrakis delivered another run-scoring single to tie it at 4.
Mark Biafore hit an RBI single to give BHS the lead for good. He then scored on Kasen Baun's triple. Grant Lively later scored on a passed ball for the Indians' seventh run.
Ashton Curry picked up the win in relief, scattering three hits over two innings with two strikeouts. Brody Pierce earned a save.
Over the weekend in the McDonald’s Classic, which was reduced from a two-day event to one because of inclement weather that wiped out Day 1, the Indians picked up a 4-2 win against Wheeling Park and a 3-2 win against George Washington.
The victory against GW came in walk-off fashion as Baun doubled in the bottom of the seventh and eventually scored on an error to break a 2-all tie.
Baun’s double was Bridgeport’s only hit of the game. The Indians manufactured a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, with Pierce and Ben Bifano each crossing home plate.
The Patriots tied the game at 2 on Eli Smith’s solo home run.
Pierce picked up the win in relief, striking out three in one inning of work. Sophomore left-hander Blake Butcher had a strong start on the mound, striking out 10 in 5 1-3 innings.
Against Wheeling Park, the Indians took a 1-0 lead on Curry’s RBI double in the second. They would tack on three more in the third on Lively’s two-run single and Michael Romano’s RBI groundout.
Stavrakis picked up win, allowing two hits and two runs in five innings with six strikeouts. Carson Currey picked up the save, striking out two in two innings.
Biafore went 2-for-2 for the Tribe and scored a run.
Nathan Bittinger took the loss for Wheeling Park. Jared Marsh led the Patriots at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double.
Prior to the McDonald’s Classic, Bridgeport picked up a 12-4 win against Robert C. Byrd and a 4-0 win against Robert C. Byrd.
Against RCB, Biafore went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer. Pierce hit a two-run single and finished with three RBIs. Zach Rohrig went 2-for-3 with a triple and scored three runs. Rowen Michaelis hit a double and scored a run.
Conner Blake picked up the win out of the bullpen. He went 3 1-3 winnings, allowing one hit and finishing with four strikeouts.
Baun hurled a complete-game two-hit shutout against B-U with four strikeouts.
Dylan Duvall and Ashton Curry each had two hits. One of Curry’s was a double.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows BHS coach Robert Shields talking to Kasen Baun (2) and Zach Rohrig (4). Bottom photo is of Mark Biafore. Photos by Joe LaRocca.
