Steven Walsh walkoff grandslam sends Brownsburg home with Opening Day win

By Drew Sandifer

The Brownsburg Baseball team kicked off their season with an Opening Day thriller, defeating HCC rival HSE, 8-5, on a walkoff grandslam from junior DH Steven Walsh in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Dogs got off to a slow start, trailing 4-0 after the fourth inning, but the offense came alive in the later innings. In the fourth, Ty Matthews ripped a two-out double, stole a base and later scored on an infield single from 3B Jackson Fought.

After the Royals answered with a solo homerun, Mathews started another rally inning off in the sixth with a leadoff double, his second of the game. After HSE walked the bases full, Fought cashed in again with a 2-RBI single. The Dogs would score another run in the sixth off of a passed ball, bringing the deficit to just 5-4.

After a scoreless top of the 7th, Gavin Pierson, Mathews and Matt Peck all got aboard for Walsh, who smashed the game-winning homerun over the left field fence to earn the Dogs a victory on Opening Day.

Mathews went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a stolen base and three runs scored. Walsh had just the one hit, but he plated 4 RBIs and scored twice. Pierson picked up the win on the mound in relief.

Brownsburg returns to action on Thursday April 8 as they make the return trip to HSE to look to sweep the Royals in this two-game set.