For The Tribune

RAMSEY

John Lawson said he wasn’t going to get much — if any — sleep Monday night.

The reason is he had just coached his Brownstown Central baseball team to the school’s first sectional title since 1982 with a 6-3 win against No. 2 Silver Creek in the Class 3A North Harrison Sectional.

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“It is special. It’s something I got to feel once,” said Lawson, who was on the 1982 team. “I talked about it to every team that we’ve ever had, how good it feels to do this. I’m just tickled to death that these guys could experience it.

“To have your son (Tyler) on the team and go out and pitch a heck of a game, you can’t top this one. There’s just no way you can top this. It’s kind of the pinnacle for me on how you feel, how happy you can be. (The late) Steve Schrink would be proud, very proud. He’d be proud of what the guys have done.”

Schrink was coach of the 1982 team that won the sectional.

The Dragons scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning and had a 1-0 lead until the top of the third when Zech Wesley led off with a double and scored on Carson Lambring’s single.

Lambring stole second, went to third on Ty Maxie’s single and scored when Zach McCory hit into a fielder’s choice.

Silver Creek tied the game in the fourth before the Braves put their winning rally together in the top of the sixth.

Sy Zickler singled and was replaced by pinch runner Cameron Luedeman. Austin Green walked and was replaced by runner Gus Hogan. Devin Stuckwisch was safe on an error with Luedeman scoring on the play.

Cody Williams then came up with the Braves’ biggest hit of the game, a single to right field that brought in Hogan and Stuckwisch.

The Braves added a run in the top of the seventh when McCory doubled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Zickler.

“We played a heck of a ballgame. We didn’t make too many mistakes, and they did, and we capitalized on theirs,” coach Lawson said. “We had some really timely hitting. Williams’ was a huge hit. We’ve taken turns DH’ing for Tyler and for Cody. Zech Wesley, our DH today, has been making contact, and he got a nice hit to right.”

On the mound, Lawson allowed six hits and one earned run, struck out three and walked one in picking up the win.

“Tyler pitched a heck of a game,” coach Lawson said. “His pitch count was low. He just got ahead of hitters, just got them out front.”

The Braves (22-5) topped Mid-Southern Conference schools Salem, Scottsburg and Silver Creek in winning the sectional.

“I didn’t sleep much any night before we played, and I’m not sleeping much tonight. I’m tickled to death,” coach Lawson said. “It was a great tournament. Awesome. I can’t describe it.”

The Braves will face Evansville Memorial in the Southridge Regional at 11 a.m. Saturday in Huntingburg.

The regional championship will be at 8 p.m. against the winner of No. 1 Jasper and Greensburg.

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“There’s just no way you can top this. It’s kind of the pinnacle for me on how you feel, how happy you can be.” — Brownstown Central baseball coach John Lawson

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One of John Lawson’s teammates on the ’82 team was Marty McCory. McCory said he and Lawson were the Braves’ pitchers in the semifinals and championship games of the Seymour Sectioal in wins against Seymour and Madison.

Both have sons on this year’s team as both Tyler Lawson and Zach McCory are seniors.

Another member of the ‘82 team was Fred Perry, an assistant coach on this year’s team.

The regional will be played at League Stadium in Huntingburg.

Part of the movie “A League Of Their Own” was filmed at League Stadium. The stadium also was used in the movie “Soul of the Game.”

The stadium is the home field for Southridge High School and the summer home of the Dubois County Bombers of the Ohio Valley Summer Collegiate Baseball League.

Zach McCory, Ty Maxie and Carson Lambring were members of the basketball team that played in the gym at Knightstown where part of the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed, and are starters on the baseball team and will be on the Legends Stadium field Saturday.

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