DENHAM SPRINGS, La. – LSU Eunice scored nine unanswered runs, including six in the final two innings, to take a 12-3 run-rule victory over Baton Rouge CC on Saturday in the opening round of the NJCAA Division I Region 23 Tournament at Denham Springs High School.  The Bengals (50-3) advance to winner's bracket play and take on Nunez CC tomorrow at 4:30PM.
 
The win helped LSUE eclipse the 50-win plateau for the third straight season and the 13th time under head coach Jeff Willis.
 
The Bengals found themselves in a dogfight early, trailing Baton Rouge 3-2 in the top of the fourth inning until Ashton Fuselier (Lake Charles, LA, Sam Houston HS) turned the game on its head in the bottom half of the inning.  Fuselier uncorked a mammoth two-run home run to left field to help LSUE regain the lead – one the Bengals would never lose hold of for the remainder of the game.
 
LSUE would extend its lead an inning later with two more runs coming off a Tyson LeBlanc (Maurice, LA, North Vermilion HS) bases loaded walk and an RBI single from Jackson Legg (Shreveport, LA, Calvary Baptist HS).  LeBlanc capped off a three RBI day in the seventh with a sacrifice ground out, joining Will Mabry, IV (St. Joseph, LA, Tensas Academy) and his RBI single to push two more runs across in the seventh to help give LSUE an 8-3 lead.
 
The Bengals would induce the run-rule in the eighth inning with four runs, all coming with two outs.  Cash Riley, III (Dallas, TX, Jesuit HS) pushed across a pair with a double down the right field line followed by Aidan Mouton's (Rayne, LA, Notre Dame HS) game ending two-run home run to left field a batter later.
 
Riley III and Mouton were part of a group of five Bengals that had two-hit games, joined by Mabry IV, Legg, and Fuselier.  Riley III accounted for five runs in the game while both Mouton and Fuselier had two RBIs and two runs scored.  Despite not registering a hit, Tyson LeBlanc led the team with his three RBIs.
 
McCray Jacobs (Johnson City, TX, Johnson City HS) would shut BRCC down in the back half of the game, tossing three shutout relief innings to pick up the save.  The freshman southpaw gave up just one hit while striking out three batters, sitting down the side in order in the eighth inning.
 
Alec Beversdorf (Seabrook, TX, Clear Falls HS) grabbed his 11th win of the season in a five-inning effort.  The sophomore struck out four batters while only issuing one free pass.