Bears Rally by Blazers before Falling in District Tournament
MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College Brookhaven battled back to beat Dallas College North Lake 10-9 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament at Dallas College Eastfield Friday.
The 13th-ranked Bears later fell to fourth-ranked Eastfield 12-4 in eight innings to end their season.
Brookhaven (34-26) pounded 15 hits, highlighted by Payton Stephenson's 4 for 5 day in the win over the Blazers (23-36). Stephenson's two-run double to right-center sparked a four-run sixth inning as the Bears pulled even at 7-7. Nash Nichols, who went 2 for 4 with three RBI, also doubled in a run in the inning.
North Lake scored five runs in the fifth, catapulted by Harrison Golden's three-run bomb to left, to take a 6-3 lead. Shaun Williams drove in a pair on a single to center in the Blazers' big inning.
In the sixth, Golden delivered again, singling to right to score Cole Chapman to give the Blazers a four-run lead.
After Brookhaven tied it at 7, Nichols struck again in the seventh, doubling home Aiden Corey and Cyler Moore to push the Bears up two. Issac Garcia's run-scoring single to left pulled North Lake within 9-8 in the eighth. But Corey padded the lead back to two with a single to right that scored Abraham Fortis. North Lake's Parker Burt cranked a solo shot to left with one out in the ninth to make it a one-run game again, but Brookhaven reliever Oliver Overlin got a groundout and a strikeout to end it.
Overlin (10-2) went the final 4 1/3 innings, giving up two runs, three hits and three walks, and struck out three in the win.
Golden went 3 for 3 with a homer, four RBI, a stolen base and two walks. He was 10 for 13 with four doubles, a triple, a home run and nine RBI in the postseason. Burt, who homered on back-to-back days, went 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI.
Dalton Stanley was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base for the Bears. Fortis was 2 for 5. Bradley Boedeker doubled twice and drove in a run in five plate appearances. Philip Orr was 2 for 5 with an RBI. Isaiah Nava went 1 for 5. Stephenson had two stolen bases.
In the semifinal elimination loss to Eastfield, Brett Petillo went 3 for 4. Stanley was 2 for 2. Fortis was 2 for 4. Mason Gilliam had a pinch-hit two-run single. Brady Breedlove was 1 for 2.
Brookhaven's 34 wins are the most since going 42-27 in 2019.
