Bryan/College Station, TX (August 2, 2023) – The Bombers came out victorious in the first game of the playoffs in Baton Rouge against the home team Rougarou 5-4 last evening. These teams will meet tonight at Edible field for game two and if Brazos Valley wins they will advance to the championship series! The Bombers went into last nights’ game with several accolades from the TCL post season awards! This Brazos Valley team had 5 members of the All-TCL team this season due to their incredible performances this summer including Casey Sunseri who was awarded All-TCL Utility player of the year with stats like 20 RBIs, 34 runs, and 55 hits and playing well all around the field. 

Ben Columbus earned the All-TCL catcher of the year with 18 runs, 30 hits, 2 homers, and 21 RBIs as well as an almost flawless season behind the plate. Christian Smith Johnson was awarded one of the spots in the All-TCL outfield team playing phenomenally on defense showing off his speed all season to track down hard hit balls and logged stats like 32 hits, 19 runs, 1 home run, and a 0.252. Two pitchers on the Bombers staff were also given the title of all-TCL team pitchers. These athletes were Zach Williams who logged a 1.68 ERA and 35 strikeouts and Mason Peters who had a 1.31 ERA and 17 strikeouts.  

In last night’s victory over the Rougarou, division one athlete Cole Modgling earned the first hit of the postseason for the Bombers with a ball hit into right field! A wild pitch advanced Modgling to second to get this Brazos Valley team into scoring position for the first time tonight in the fourth! TCL home run leader, Simon Larranaga logged an RBI double at the next at bat of the inning, smashing a ball deep into center to bounce off the back wall and this would bring home Cole Modgling giving the Bombers the lead 1-0! 

In the fifth, Christian Smith Johnson, one of the hottest hitters for this Brazos Valley team in the past few weeks, hits a single past the second baseman to get the Bombers back on base! On the very next at bat, Maddox Miesse earned a base hit for back to back singles on back to back pitches getting the runners in scoring position. Casey Sunseri, all-TCL team athlete, continues to stun fans with a 2 RBI single hit hard into right field scoring Smith Johnson and Miesse for 2 more insurance runs giving them a 3-0 lead. 

Earning back to back singles during his time at the plate, Casey Susneri got the Bombers back on base in the top of the 8th, sending a ball deep into right field. Returning to the catching position for the first time since a late season injury, Ben Columbus was able to put up a base hit hard up right field for a leadoff single on the first pitch of the inning! Bombers pitching was also a great attribute to the lack of Rougarou runs tonight with 6 strikeouts for Austin Teel and Hayden Tronson getting his team out of a 2 out, runners in scoring position jam! 

Tonight’s ball game went into extra innings unexpectedly on the last out of the bottom of the night with the Rougarou tying the game but the Bombers offense answered in the 10th! With two outs on the board and runners on 1st and 3rd Simon Larranaga absolutely launches a ball high and deep into center field that hits the top of the wall in the outfield. Simon watched this ball all the way till its drop knowing it would be a game changer and this hit would earn Larranaga a 2 RBI single to score Chrisitian Smith Johnson and Casey Sunseri bringing the ball game to 5-3! On 2 outs and 2 strikes a ball was hit towards center and was tracked down and caught by Smith Johnson to close out the ball game and secure the 1-0 series lead.

About the Brazos Valley Bombers

The Bombers are members of the Texas Collegiate League, one of the nation’s premier summer collegiate circuits. Teams like the Bombers bring minor league baseball-style entertainment to communities throughout the country, giving some of the best college players a chance to further their careers in wood bat leagues in front of Major League scouts. The Bombers 48-game season begins on May 30th and runs through August 3rd, followed by the TCL playoffs and a championship series. Season tickets for the 2023 season are now on sale. More information is available by calling the Bombers ticket office at (979) 779-PLAY, visiting the Bombers office in Bryan, or logging on to the Bombers’ official website at www.bvbombers.com.

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