SEYMOUR – Revenge was sweet for Bedford North Lawrence.
After losing twice to Jeffersonville during the regular season, the Stars flipped the script with a 7-3 victory over the Red Devils in the first game of the Class 4A sectional on Wednesday. Cade Mungle blasted a two-run home run and Kline Woodward hurled a complete game on the mound as BNL (16-11) advanced to the first semifinal on Saturday.
Jeffersonville (11-11) dominated the first two meetings, posting a 7-3 home win on April 19 and a 10-0 shutout victory at home on May 10. But in the postseason rematch, the Stars rallied from a 2-0 deficit with offensive bursts in the fourth and fifth innings.
“It’s tough to beat a team three times,” BNL coach Jeff Callahan said, quoting the old adage that proved true again. “They needed to believe. If we didn’t believe, we didn’t need to show up. You could see it in the kids. They don’t want to lose. We haven’t played great lately, and we’ve had some injuries, but you still have to battle every moment.”
BNL started its comeback with a run in the third. Cal Gates walked and stole second, and with two outs Cam Gates delivered a run-scoring single.
The Stars took control in the fourth with three runs. Carter Bennett opened the frame with a single, and Mungle bunted him to second. Trace Rynders followed with a hit, and Cal Gates singled in the equalizing run. Maddox Ray stroked a single to right for the go-ahead run, and Woodward added a sacrifice fly for a 4-2 advantage.
BNL extended its advantage in the fifth. With two outs, Bennett banged a RBI double, and Mungle crushed his bomb to right.
“He got that ball in the air,” Callahan said, “and it just kept carrying.”
“That was awesome,” Woodward said. “We needed that as a team. That put the game away.”
Bennett had two hits. Woodward struck out six and scattered five hits, and the Devils left eight runners on base. They scored twice in the third (a BNL error and RBI single by Ethan Durbin) and a final run in the seventh (Ryan Crawford doubled and Durbin drove in the run with a ground out).
“We knew we had to stay together as a team,” Woodward said. “We couldn’t give up if we got down early. We put the pierces together. I think we’re hot right now. We’ll be tough to beat. That was a big win.”
Crawford had two hits for the Devils.
“Kline just pitched his guts out,” Callahan said. “We got that lead and when you do that, you can play with confidence. It’s a different mindset. It takes a team effort pulling the rope in the same direction.”
BNL will face Seymour (a 6-1 winner over New Albany) in the first semifinal at 11 a.m. The second semifinal will feature No.4 Floyd Central (22-3) and Jennings County (14-13). The winners will clash on Monday at 11 a.m. in the final. BNL is chasing its first sectional title since 2017.
