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Photo by Nicole Flowers
March 13, 2025
Baseball extends winning streak to five games
By Brady Keane
The Bandera Prophet
The Bandera baseball team is hitting its stride, rattling off five consecutive wins just before the start of Spring Break.
The Bulldogs dominated at the Jourdanton Tournament, securing victories over Jourdanton (11-3), Poteet (7-0), Crystal City (3-2), and Natalia (4-3) before adding a 21-9 road win over Comfort on Tuesday night.
“This group is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Bandera Head Coach Cody Fields said. “We’re starting to find some consistency in all phases of the game, and that’s making a huge difference.”
In the win over Jourdanton, Jake Cesta got the start on the mound and went three innings, striking out five batters to earn the win. The Bulldogs’ bats came alive with 12 hits, as Kelton Raab, Randon Wheeler, Payson Mangold, Cesta, and Brady Trussell each recorded two hits apiece in the 11-3 victory.
Against Poteet, Mangold dominated on the mound, tossing a 3 1/3 inning shutout in a 7-0 win shortened by the tournament time limit. He allowed just four hits and no runs while striking out five, adding a 1-for-2 performance with an RBI at the plate. Caleb Hohon (1-for-1, 2 walks, 2 RBIs) and Cooper Gunderman (1-for-2, 1 RBI) led the way offensively.
“Payson did a great job of attacking the strike zone and keeping hitters off balance,” Fields said. “He’s stepping up big for us on the mound right now and will continue to be an important part of our success throughout the rest of the year.”
The Bulldogs followed up with a pair of one-run defensive battles.
In a 3-2 win over Crystal City, Wheeler pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out seven. Brayden Franklin had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Bandera edged out Natalia 4-3 thanks to two-hit performances from Cesta and Gunderman, while Hohon went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a run scored.
“Those were the types of gritty wins that are important early in the year,” Fields said. “Our pitching and defense kept us in the game, and we found ways to manufacture runs when we needed them.”
The Bulldogs capped off the five-game streak with a 21-9 offensive explosion over Comfort. Bandera broke the game open with an eight-run seventh inning, finishing with 13 hits in the victory.
Mangold led the way with three hits, one RBI, and three runs scored, while Wheeler (2 hits, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Hohon (2-for-4, 5 RBIs, 2 runs), Dalton Parks (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Gunderman (1-for-2, 4 walks, 4 runs), and Trussell (1-for-5, RBI, run) all contributed to the offensive explosion.
On the mound, Hohon picked up the win, throwing three innings and allowing just one earned run.
“The guys just kept grinding at the plate,” Fields said. “It wasn’t perfect early, but we kept finding ways to get on base, and eventually, the big inning came.”
Now sitting at 6-4-1 on the season, Bandera will take on Hondo Friday night with a chance to avenge a 2-0 loss to the Owls from Feb. 27.
“Hondo is always a tough matchup,” Fields said. “But we’re playing good baseball right now. If we keep competing the way we have been, we’ll give ourselves a shot to keep this momentum going.”
The Bulldogs dominated at the Jourdanton Tournament, securing victories over Jourdanton (11-3), Poteet (7-0), Crystal City (3-2), and Natalia (4-3) before adding a 21-9 road win over Comfort on Tuesday night.
“This group is playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Bandera Head Coach Cody Fields said. “We’re starting to find some consistency in all phases of the game, and that’s making a huge difference.”
In the win over Jourdanton, Jake Cesta got the start on the mound and went three innings, striking out five batters to earn the win. The Bulldogs’ bats came alive with 12 hits, as Kelton Raab, Randon Wheeler, Payson Mangold, Cesta, and Brady Trussell each recorded two hits apiece in the 11-3 victory.
Against Poteet, Mangold dominated on the mound, tossing a 3 1/3 inning shutout in a 7-0 win shortened by the tournament time limit. He allowed just four hits and no runs while striking out five, adding a 1-for-2 performance with an RBI at the plate. Caleb Hohon (1-for-1, 2 walks, 2 RBIs) and Cooper Gunderman (1-for-2, 1 RBI) led the way offensively.
“Payson did a great job of attacking the strike zone and keeping hitters off balance,” Fields said. “He’s stepping up big for us on the mound right now and will continue to be an important part of our success throughout the rest of the year.”
The Bulldogs followed up with a pair of one-run defensive battles.
In a 3-2 win over Crystal City, Wheeler pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out seven. Brayden Franklin had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Bandera edged out Natalia 4-3 thanks to two-hit performances from Cesta and Gunderman, while Hohon went 1-for-1 with two RBIs and a run scored.
“Those were the types of gritty wins that are important early in the year,” Fields said. “Our pitching and defense kept us in the game, and we found ways to manufacture runs when we needed them.”
The Bulldogs capped off the five-game streak with a 21-9 offensive explosion over Comfort. Bandera broke the game open with an eight-run seventh inning, finishing with 13 hits in the victory.
Mangold led the way with three hits, one RBI, and three runs scored, while Wheeler (2 hits, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Hohon (2-for-4, 5 RBIs, 2 runs), Dalton Parks (2-for-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs), Gunderman (1-for-2, 4 walks, 4 runs), and Trussell (1-for-5, RBI, run) all contributed to the offensive explosion.
On the mound, Hohon picked up the win, throwing three innings and allowing just one earned run.
“The guys just kept grinding at the plate,” Fields said. “It wasn’t perfect early, but we kept finding ways to get on base, and eventually, the big inning came.”
Now sitting at 6-4-1 on the season, Bandera will take on Hondo Friday night with a chance to avenge a 2-0 loss to the Owls from Feb. 27.
“Hondo is always a tough matchup,” Fields said. “But we’re playing good baseball right now. If we keep competing the way we have been, we’ll give ourselves a shot to keep this momentum going.”