Briarwood ace Ben Bracewell has been lights out in the playoffs and added a career highlight Tuesday with a 10-0 no-hitter over Beauregard. However, the celebration was short lived as the Hornets bounced back with an 8-2 win in the nightcap to force a third game Wednesday at 5 p.m.

After the games, Bracewell (13-0) was not celebrating his first career no-hitter, but hanging out with teammates for hours discussing Wednesday’s game.

“Now, I couldn’t careless that I had a no-hitter. I have to think about tomorrow. It was good for a couple of minutes but we’ve got more important things ahead,” Bracewell said. “Our key tomorrow is to come out and play loose. We’re a better team than they are. We can’t carry over any frustrations from today.”

The major frustrations the Lions (27-6) need to erase from Tuesday are the three errors and four hits in the fifth inning of the second game, which turned a 2-1 Briarwood lead into a 6-2 deficit.

Briarwood’s two runs in the nightcap came from an RBI hit by Bracewell to score Brett Conner and a solo home run by first baseman Paul McKelvey. McKelvey also hit a solo blast in the first game to complement a three-run shot by Jonathan Logan that broke the game wide open in the third inning. Logan also had a two-run shot in the fourth inning.

Bracewell struck out nine in the no-hitter and allowed only two runners that he by a pitch.

David Woods picked up the loss in game two after one and two-third innings of relief for Tanner Cunningham. Trey Nichols also pitched.

Briarwood head coach Lee Hall plans to pitch Logan Crook on Wednesday, followed by a staff effort in relief.

“We’re going to piece mill seven innings together,” Hall said. “We’ve had a great year. We’ve swung the bats all year, and I’ve got no reason to believe we won’t come out and swing the bats again tomorrow.”

Bracewell knows the offense has to come alive in game three.

“Crook’s biggest thing is mental. He’s got the stuff to be out No. 2 easily. I know he has that battle mentality somewhere inside of him. I’ve seen it before,” Bracewell said. “I think if we go out and get runs early that’s going to help him loosen up a bit.”