22-5A BASEBALL: Law shuts out Wolves as Broncos get series sweep

TEMPLE — Mason Law struck out six and got plenty of help from his defense, while Lake Belton strung together enough offense to come away with a 3-0 win over Shoemaker at a cold, gusty Bronco Ballpark on Friday night.

Law’s complete-game shutout came on the heels of Lake’s 12-0 run-rule road victory against the Grey Wolves to open District 22-5A play Tuesday, during which Mason Gerrard struck out nine and walked one in a complete game.

Law then picked up where his teammate left off to help the Broncos (10-5, 2-0) to their third straight win and fourth in their last five games.

“I was really proud of how Mason threw. For the most part, except for that last inning, I thought he challenged the strike zone, managed his pitches well,” Lake Belton head coach Chris Peacock said. “He’s really thrown very well for us this year and felt like he continued to do it tonight.”

After hitting a groove during the middle innings, retiring seven straight at one point, Law issued back-to-back one-out walks to help Shoemaker (3-9-1, 0-2) get the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but the junior recovered by coaxing Fernando Rivera into an infield fly-rule out and then getting Natan Colon to strike out to seal the win, wrapping up a spring break week sweep for the Broncos.

“Huge to get off to that 2-0 start,” said Peacock, whose team plated runs in the first, fourth and fifth. “We challenged them during (pre-district) tournaments and played some really good teams and it was really good to see that kind of pay off to come in here and take the first two games of district play.”

Lake Belton assumed an early lead in the first when Connor Bartz lined a one-out double into left on a 0-2 count and came around to score on a Shoemaker error.

Lake kept the lead intact thanks to Law’s crisp pitching and some nifty defensive work.

The Broncos — who turned two double plays — got a sliding catch from second baseman Malaki McGehee in shallow right to steal a hit from Marquez in the first and stopped a Shoemaker scoring chance in the third when Gerrard gathered Damian Montanez-Figaroua’s flare single into right and easily threw out Jheinnyel Vega Rocafort, who was trying to go first to third.

Law also turned an unassisted double play to quiet the Wolves in the second, grabbing Colon’s line drive bunt that drifted back to him on the mound. Law then trotted the ball to first himself to double off Rivera, who was moving on the pitch.

The Broncos got another twin-killing, this one via the traditional 6-4-3 route, to erase Marquez’s leadoff single in the fourth.

Lake then added to its cushion in its half of the fourth after Peyton Flanagan drew a leadoff walk, swiped second, and touched home when Clint Beck dropped a line drive single into left.

The Broncos tacked on their final run in the fifth when Brandon Bell came around to score on a Grey Wolves’ error after leading the frame off with a walk and then stealing second. It was one of four stolen bases for Lake — Mason Trovinger, Peanut Brazzle and Flanagan had the others.

Law allowed only six base runners — two hits, three walks and an error — and faced the minimum amount of batters in each inning but two.

He kept the pace brisk, needing just 90 pitches in the full seven innings, and sat down eight straight from the fourth through seventh frames, retiring the side in the fifth and sixth.

Law again got some defensive assistance to end the sixth when Gerrard fielded Shoemaker leadoff hitter Montanez-Figaroua’s sharp liner into right and threw him out at first base for his second outfield assist of the night.

Brazzle also made a diving catch of Marquez’s short fly into left for the first out of the seventh. McGehee went 2-for-4 to lead Lake’s five-hit attack while Flanagan and Bell each drew a pair of walks.

The Broncos will host Waco next Tuesday.

22-5A BASEBALL

Belton 2-0

Killeen 2-0

Lake Belton 2-0

Waco 2-0

Chaparral 0-2

Ellison 0-2

Shoemaker 0-2

Waco University 0-2

FRIDAY'S GAMES

• Belton 18, Waco University 0
• Killeen 21, Ellison 0
• Lake Belton 3, Shoemaker 0
• Waco 9, Chaparral 4