By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON — A six-run third inning broke Monday’s game open as Ruston High (20-10) took an 11-0 victory over Simsboro (20-6), continuing a strong stretch of play for the Bearcats.
Ruston head coach Bryan Beck said his team handled the challenge of returning from a holiday break with the right approach.
“We showed up on a Monday night game after an Easter break weekend, coming off a big Pineville series win, and took care of business,” Beck said. “Coach Scott Hiers at Simsboro has done a really good job with that group this year — that’s a really good baseball team.”
The Bearcats struck first in the second inning, capitalizing on Simsboro miscues and added timely hitting. Ruston pushed across multiple runs with a combination of errors and RBI singles, while sophomore Dalen Powell added an inside-the-park home run during the early surge.
Ruston put the game out of reach in the third. Senior Jackson Burroughs drove in a run with a single, and senior Hudson Wood delivered the big blow with a two-run triple. Additional runs crossed the plate on an error, a sacrifice fly by junior JP Moak, and aggressive baserunning, stretching the lead to 11-0.
Beck noted the performance came with a reshuffled lineup, as several regulars were given a night off.
“We were able to rest some guys and start some young guys in their spots,” Beck said. “We rested seniors Jackson Lee and Lander Smith — they needed some recovery time — and Powell got the start in center, and Tyler Osborne, our young sophomore catcher, started behind the plate. Everybody was very productive and had a really good game.”
On the mound, sophomore Hudson McIntyre set the tone for Ruston, tossing three shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out three. Juniors Colt Lary and Hunter Soto followed in relief to complete the shutout.
“He got his first varsity win,” Beck said of McIntyre. “He’s a sophomore, an incredible program kid for us, a great teammate. He deserved that opportunity.”
Ruston’s pitching staff continues to be a major strength, as the Bearcats have now recorded four shutouts in their last five games.
“I can’t tell you enough about how good our pitching staff has been for us this year,” Beck said.
Offensively, Wood led the way with four RBIs, while Burroughs and Powell each collected two hits. Ruston also applied constant pressure on the basepaths, swiping nine stolen bases, with senior Kenden Freeman, Burroughs and senior Michael Brisco each recording multiple steals.
Defensively, the Bearcats were sharp throughout, turning a double play and playing error-free baseball.
For Simsboro, senior Bryson Yarborough led the way with two hits in two at-bats.
Ruston now turns its focus to a pivotal district series against West Monroe (23-7) later this week. The Bearcats host the Rebels on Thursday and Saturday, with a road game on Friday.
“We have a chance to win a district championship this weekend and our kids are up for it,” Beck said. “We’re playing really good baseball right now. Our pitching staff gives us a chance to be in every game, and we need to play good defense behind them and continue to put pressure on teams offensively.”
“It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere. We’ll get a really good indicator of where we are heading into the postseason. We feel good about it, and we’re going to compete as hard as we can.”
The Tigers will return to action tonight on the road at Quitman, and will end the 2026 regular season on Monday, April 13, with a home game against Southwood.
