The Bruins went to bed Thursday night thinking they had won the rain shortened first regional game against New Holland-Middleton by a score of 8-5. On Friday, the Bruins learned that NHM had not conceded and that under IESA rules a game stopped because of weather is merely suspended and must be played to completion. So on Saturday the Bruins returned to NHM. Play resumed in the top of the 6^th inning, with Newell on second and Wasser on first and no outs. After Newell was picked off stealing 3^rd and Wear got punched out on a questionable call, Larson punched a single to score Wasser. Huddleston and Sheehan walked to load the bases but the Bruins could not keep their rally going. But the one run was all the Bruins needed as they held on to pull out a 9-8 win.   The win stayed with Wasser who, after giving up 3 runs to NHM in the bottom of the 7^th, got the next 2 NHM batters to ground out to VonBehren at 1^st and strike out.   With everyone at the field on the edge of their seats and the tying NHM run at 2^nd base, the #8 NHM batter, who had singled at his last two at-bats, hit a hard liner down the 1^st base line. VonBehren stepped to his left, stuck out his glove, and found a ball inside !!   Game over; Bruins win !!    Hats off also to Larson who made a great 6-3 put out in the bottom of the 6^th inning to stop what looked like the start of an NHM rally.

With the win the Bruins packed their bags and headed off to Lincoln for the afternoon 2^nd round regional game against Mt. Pulaski.  BSS jumped to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first, but Mt. Pulaski answered with 2 hits, a walk and a grand salami.   BSS could only muster 4 hits (Sheehan twice, Wasser, and Larson)  and a walk (Wear) in the next four innings, while  Mt. Pulaski put 10 more runs on the board to whip BSS 14-4 on the 10-run rule.   Mt. Pulaski only mustered 6 hits, but BSS lost both its “O” and its “D”.      The 3^rd inning saw some BSS highlights.   After the lead Pulaski batter singled to right, shortstop Newell cut him down with a toss over to Huddleston at 2^nd.  After Wear relieved Larson on the mound, with Newell moving to center and Larsen to short, Larsen made a great 6-3 put out with a long cross-diamond throw that VonBehren dug out of the dirt.  Wear ended the tough 3^rd inning by picking off at 1^st the 7^th Pulaski batter to reach base.  

The loss ended the Bruins 2002 IESA season.   Aside from individual season achievements, the performance of the Bruins in winning the first round regional game against NHM will last as a sweet memory and showed the grit, determination, skill and character of the BSS team that took the field that day(s) !!

A great big thanks to coaches Dave Ficke and Michael Wasser whose patience,  game knowledge and enthusiasm made the season possible. A big thanks also to Denny Larson for helping at practices, keeping score (as did Kim in Denny’s absence !) and helping with the dirt work.   Also a big thanks to all of the parents who chauffeured the kids to practice and to games, who did the dirty laundry, who put up with the coaches and, most of all, who supported the Bruins baseball team through the season’s ups and downs. Thanks to principal Kathy Wear for allowing us to play baseball for the school and for snapping the pictures.  Thanks to Sharon Schraeder for keeping the coaches straight on the eligibility paperwork, getting the checks cut and maintaining the web site.   Thanks also to the rest of the BSS school office staff for their support and assistance.   Thanks to all who came out and supported us at the games.

The Bruins baseball team will conclude their season by playing out the SRD fall league games, all at Schlitt: