Tom Dodge
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the eighth of a 12-story series celebrating LSUE’s baseball and softball national championships.
After the Bengals won their fourth baseball national championship in 2012, LSUE almost had its first repeat but fell one run short of another title in 2013.
Murray State College (Oklahoma) starting pitcher Bradley Horn threw a complete game as Murray State won 4-3.
The 2014 team was pushed out of the Region 23 tournament with losses to Hinds Community College and Jones County Junior College.
A possible return trip to Enid in 2015 went through Bengal Stadium as LSUE was the host team for the Region 23 tournament.
LSUE downed Northwest Mississippi 12-0 and then swept Hinds (10-6, 6-0) to advance to the national tournament.
The 2015 World Series was full of drama the entire tournament, beginning with the Bengals’ 5-4 win over Scottsdale Community College.
David Scott LaFleur’s sixth inning home run helped LSUE double up Scottsdale with a 4-2 advantage.
Brennan Bozeman added a crucial run an inning later, driving home Madison Nickens.
The Artichokes rallied with runs in the seventh and eighth innings before the combination of Zach Hamilton and Sam Walley threw the final 2.1 innings, allowing one run and striking out four.
Mitch Sewald notched his 13th win of the season going 6.2 innings, scattering eight hits, three earned runs, four walks and striking out six batters.
Ben Braymer dominated for eight innings in a dominating 8-1 win over Kellogg Community College to move on in winner’s bracket play.
Braymer allowed seven hits and two walks but yielded just one earned run while striking out six batters.
Jordan Romero’s solo home run in the fourth helped break a 1-1 tie and LSUE never trailed for the remainder of the game.
Steven Sensley’s 20th home run of the season was part of a critical three run eighth inning to help the Bengals pushed their lead to seven runs.
The Bengals then suffered a stunning loss to Western Oklahoma State College as the Pioneers scored three runs in the tenth inning to take down LSUE, 5-2.
Western Oklahoma loaded the bases then scored off a wild pitch and a double.
LSUE rallied earlier in the game when Trennon Trosclair capitalized on a Pioneer mistake, scoring on a passed ball to make it 1-1 in the third.
David LaFleur gave LSUE the lead an inning, scoring off an error.
Walley threw seven innings, striking out 11 batters with two walks and two earned runs off just three hits.
“Sam Walley threw a tremendous game,” LSUE head coach Jeff Willis said. “But the inside story was their closer struck out one of our guys and then did the motion of slitting a throat – telling us I’m dominating you guys.
“I told our team when he did that you can’t out run karma,” the coach said.
The next game, the Bengals survived a five-hour, 13-inning marathon to take down UConn-Avery Point, 16-14.
Lafleur’s solo home run in the top of the 13th helped give the Bengals the edge while Romero provided an insurance run, driving in Janson Bourque.
LSUE also got an outstanding defensive play in the bottom half of the inning with a diving game-winning catch by Trennon Trosclair to help preserve the victory.
The high scoring affair saw three five-run frames combined by the two teams including one by the Bengals in the seventh inning.
LSUE tallied 19 hits in the game including three by Nick Coomes, Jordan Romero and Janson Bourque.
The Bengals also bombed five home runs including a pair by David LaFleur.
Madison Nickens, Steven Sensley and Nick Coomes provided the other big shots.
The rematch with local favorite Western Oklahom a was filled with drama even before the first pitch.
“One of their guys walked right through the middle of our team huddle,” Willis said. “So the game began with a lot of tension.”
The Bengals rallied from a 10-1 hole entering the fifth inning to take down Western Oklahoma State College and force a winner-take-all showdown later that night.
LSUE exploded for nine unanswered runs to tie it at 10-10 in the 8th inning.
The rally was sparked by two home runs from LaFleur that led to a 10-10 tie in the top of the eighth.
Down 12-10 in the ninth, LaFleur’s sacrifice fly brought in Brennan Bozeman.
Madison Nickens doubled and scored on a wild pitch with two outs to tie the game at 12.
Run scoring hits from Jordan Romero and Trey Caswell gave the Bengals the winning margin.
“It says a lot about the character of that team as they were down 10-1 in the first game and no one in the stadium expected us to win except for the guys in our dugout,” Willis said. “We were down to one strike and we tied the game on a wild pitch but that shows as long as there is an out left on the board you have a chance to win.
“Western was off to the races and it looked like they were going to win but our guys kept fighting,” the coach said. “The momentum then shifted over to us.”
Western Oklahoma took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first of the finale, but the Bengals then exploded for 16 unanswered runs as LSU Eunice cruised to the title win.
The Bengals scored in six of eight innings, including four runs in the second and five more in fifth inning to push ahead 15-1.
Walley led the charge with a 3-for-5 outing including a pair of home runs, four RBIs and three runs scored.
Braymer threw an eight-inning gem, striking out 12 batters, walking one and scattering four hits with just one run scored.
“That team had tremendous desire and work ethic,” Willis said. “They were relentless throughout the tournament especially the last three games.”
Braymer was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Pitcher.
Braymer grabbed two wins and finished with a 0.56 ERA, including 18 strikeouts and just three walks over 16 innings.
Lafleur’s hitting performance earned him MVP honors and the Eltite Hitter of the tournament.
He hit .391 over the six games, had nine RBIs, seven walks and slammed six home runs including three against Western.
Sensley was named as a NJCAA first team All-American, while Mitch Sewald was selected to the second team.
LSUE finished 49-10 on the season.
2015 LSUE roster
1 OF Zach LaFleur
2 OF Cade Stone
4 P Travis Cliburn
5 OF David Lafleur
6 IF Janson Bourque
7 IF Trey Caswell
8 P Landon Presnall
9 IF Turner Francis
11 OF Jesse Lee
12 P Evan Richardson
13 C/IF Nick Coomes
14 P Jacob Barton
15 IF Will Watson
16 P Hayden Guidry
17 P Evan Kissinger
19 P/IF Sam Walley
20 OF Mark Fontenot
21 OF Trenon Trosclair
22 P Haden Shipman
23 OF Madison Nickens
24 P Clay Moffitt
25 P Mitch Sewald
26 P Zack Hamilton
27 IF/OF Steven Sensley
28 C Jordan Romero
29 P Erin Baldwin
30 IF Brennan Bozeman
31 P Nick Duthu
33 P Ben Braymer
35 IF Joe Trahan
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Jeff Willis Assistant Coaches: Alan Orgain, Javier Solis and Kade Keowen