Zach Hester strikes out career best 14 batters
in World Series opener vs.v Brunswick.
May 27, Brunswick Community College – W, 9-0
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Zach Hester threw his first complete game of the season to help No. 1 LSU Eunice run-rule No. 8 Brunswick, 9-0, in the Bengals’ opener in the NJCAA Division II World Series. The sophomore pumped in a career-best 14 strikeouts over the eight-inning outing.
The Bengals ran wild on the base paths early with Brent Hebert and Evan Keller both scoring thanks to stolen base attempts. LSUE swiped eight bases in the game highlighted by Jacob Richard’s three.
Mason Templet led the LSUE offense with a three-for-four night, driving in four RBIs including a walk-off three-run home run to left field in the eighth. Jacob Richard also had a multi-hit game, scoring an eighth inning run off a Koi Westbrook sacrifice bunt.
Hayden Mixon watches his Grand Slam vs. NOC-Enid in
the Bengals' second game of the World Series.
May 28, Northern Oklahoma College-Enid – W, 10-6
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LSU Eunice erased a three-run deficit thanks to a Hayden Mixon Grand Slam to jumpstart the Bengals in a 10-6 win over No. 4 NOC-Enid. The fourth inning bomb gave LSUE the lead for good as the Bengals scored in each of their final five at-bats.
Slate Fuller pushed the lead to 6-3 after Slate Fuller knocked an opposite field two-run home run to a short porch in right field. Fuller paced the Bengals’ 12-hit night with a three-for-four game, driving in two runs and scoring three times.
Andrew Sheridan shook off a rocky early outing to record his 11th victory of the season. The freshman gave up four runs off of four hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Austin Bradford, Justin Barton and Landon Clifton pitched in relief to help stave off the Jets.
Koi Westbrook celebrates his Grand Slam vs. NOC-Enid.
May 30, Northern Oklahoma College-Enid – W, 10-1
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LSUE played arguably its most complete game of the season in a 10-1 over NOC-Enid to advance to the NJCAA Championship Series. The Bengals used another Grand Slam, this one by Koi Westbrook, to push ahead of the Jets and never look back.
The second inning slam was more than enough for Dane Dixon. After giving up an early run, Dixon retired the next 15 batters and allowed just one hit in the final six innings.
The home run barrage continued in the third inning with Slate Fuller knocked his second homer of the World Series to give LSUE a 6-1 edge. Mason Templet and Hayden Mixon helped add two more in the fifth while the Bengals scratched the final two runs in the sixth inning off of a bunt and ground out.
Mason Templet led LSU Eunice
with eight hits during the World Series
May 31, Parkland College – W, 9-5
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The long ball continued to be a theme for No. 1 LSU Eunice as the Bengals used a pair of three-run home runs to take down No. 2 Parkland College, 9-5, in the Championship Series opener.
Once again, LSUE found itself in an early hole down 2-1 after 3.5 innings. Cameron Horton lifted a three-run opposite field home run to give the Bengals the lead for good, 4-2. Horton became the fifth different Bengal to blast a homer at David Allen Memorial during the World Series.
The lead swelled to 9-3 thanks to a run scoring double by Mason Templet in the fifth and Koi Westbrook’s towering three-run shot in the sixth. Westbrook and Templet both collected multi-hit games in LSUE’s eight-hit effort
Noah Beason (3-0) picked up the win after relieving Brian Fairbanks for two innings. The freshman threw two complete innings, giving up one run off two hits and a walk. Jacob Spell allowed two runs in the seventh to allow the Cobras to creep to 9-5.
Justin Barton, Austin Bradford and Landon Clifton shut down the Parkland bats for the final 2.1 innings, giving up two hits to close out the game.
Koi Westbrook drives in the game tying run against
Parkland in the 8th inning.
June 1, Parkland College – W, 5-3
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Slate Fuller lived every child’s dream by hitting a game-winning, walk-off home run in the ninth inning with two outs to give LSU Eunice a 5-3 victory and a NJCAA Division II National Championship. It was the Bengals’ sixth national title as the top-seed upended No. 2 Parkland in the best-of-three series 2-0.
The Bengals trailed for the majority of the second half of the ballgame until Koi Westbrook gave LSUE new life. The Tournament MVP laced a two-out single to score Bren Faulk, tying the game 3-3. Cameron Horton started the rally with a two-out walk followed by Jacob Richard being hit by a pitch.
Slate Fuller is met by teammates after hitting
game winning home run.
Westbrook earned World Series top honors after batting .375 over LSUE's five games, driving in nine runs on six hits and two home runs. The Carencro native was also named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the Tournament. He finished 2-for-4 in the Bengals' final game, driving in that one run while stealing two bases.
LSU Eunice started out the game red hot thanks to ace Zach Hester. The Bengals starting pitcher retired the first nine Parkland batters, striking out seven in that span. Hester tallied nine punch outs in his eight-inning effort, scattering three runs on three hits and three walks. Hester increased his season total to 133 strikeouts, second most in a single-season at LSUE behind Ben Braymer's 138 in 2015.
LSUE celebrates its sixth NJCAA National Title.
Hester was named the World Series' Most Valuable Pitcher after giving up just two earned runs in 16 innings of work, striking out 23 batters.
The Bengals went ahead 2-0 in the second after scoring on a wild pitch and a Jacob Richard run scoring single.
Parkland responded with a Trystin Raikes two-run double in the fourth inning and Max Down solo home run a frame later, taking a 3-2 edge.
From there, Hester blanked the Cobras his final three innings before being relieved by Justin Barton. Barton (5-0) picked up the win after tossing a perfect ninth inning, striking out two batters.
Fuller and Westbrook were the lone Bengals to tally multi-hit games in LSUE's eight-hit output.
World Series Awards
Most Valuable Player – Koi Westbrook
Defensive Player of the Tournament – Koi Westbrook
Most Valuable Pitcher – Zach Hester
Coach of the Tournament – Jeff Willis
All-Tournament Team – Zach Hester, Jacob Richard, Mason Templet
