Matt Roberson’s Red Bank baseball team simultaneously threw their hands up in the air as District 6-3A pitcher of the year Sean Brune sealed the Lions’ first district tournament championship since 2012 Monday night.
Brune coaxed a ground ball to senior star shortstop Anyer Alvarez for the final out in Red Bank’s 2-1 road victory over Soddy Daisy and a dogpile ensued behind the pitcher’s mound followed by a postgame ice bath for Roberson.
“We have been on a mission to bring Red Bank back to the mountaintop, rightfully where it belongs,” said Roberson, who took over the program three years ago. “This is all about the Red Bank community. It’s a very proud community that has baseball down to its core. It kind of hibernated for a little bit, but we are bringing it back. I am excited to share this with the people of Red Bank.
Red Bank vs. Soddy Daisy baseball on May 5, 2025
“This is not a one-and-done thing. But to get the second, you have to win the first. This group is going to have a banner put up on the clubhouse for the first time in 12 years as district champions.”
Brune continued his lights-out pitching performance since the halfway point of the season as he threw four scoreless innings in relief, which included the first three innings before re-entering in the seventh to nail down the win after junior classmate Hayden Knam threw three strong innings of one-run ball in relief.
Brune’s bat also came up big for the Lions (20-16), who got on the board in their first at-bat off their two-way standout’s 26th RBI of the season on a single up the middle with two outs to score Alvarez.
“This is something I have dreamt of since I was a kid,” Brune said. “This feeling of winning a championship is everything I hoped for it to be. It is truly amazing. This is a stepping stone for this program to follow for years to come. This is something greater than just ourselves. We are all super happy to bring a district title back to Red Bank.”
Freshman catcher Andy Briceno called a phenomenal game behind the plate, working with Brune and Knam to only allow one run despite the Trojans drawing six walks. Soddy Daisy senior Cooper Poe drew one of those free passes and was 2-for-2 with a double as he and Gabe Ferguson had four of the home team’s five hits in the defeat.
Alvarez turned a sensational double-play in the bottom of the second on a leaping grab at shortstop as he fired to freshman first baseman Brayden Stultz who provided a nice pick to double the lead runner off. Briceno ended the inning by gunning down a Trojan runner trying to swipe second base.
Red Bank built a 2-0 lead in the fourth of Knam’s infield single, which drew a throwing error to score Stultz.
Soddy’s lone run came in the fifth on a sacrifice bunt by Brayden Maynor down the first base line.
“I told our guys, you have to eat, sleep, breathe and love defense,” Roberson said. “Our guys made some big plays out there tonight. This championship is sweet. Now, we are going to be ready to go for regionals.”
Red Bank senior Jack Barkeloo also stood out in the district championship victory by going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, which improved his team-leading average to .451 and stolen base total to 40 on the season.
“When Anyer and Jack are happy, everybody is happy,” Brune said. “It’s an effect only those guys can have. We all came together and made something happen that hasn’t happened in a long time here. We aren’t done yet either.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.