Late inning loss

PINE PRAIRIE -- It was a valiant effort on the part of the Pine Prairie baseball team and ace pitcher Dylan Doucet here Tuesday.
However, the Panthers could not sustain any momentum gathered in the bottom of the fifth, when they tied the game up at 2-2, as they allowed 10 runs in the final two innings in a 12-2 loss to the Eunice Bobcats.
Doucet was brilliant on the mound for Pine Prairie going six complete innings only allowing three runs on three hits. Unfortunately for the Panthers, Doucet could not finish the game because of high pitch count.
“I pulled Dylan out because his pitch count was getting too high,” said Panther head coach Scott Butts. “I did not feel any need to keep running his pitch count up, mostly for the health of his arm. But, up until that point, I thought we were competing.”
It was definitely a pitcher’s duel throughout most of the game, as neither team could manage much offense against Doucet and Bobcat starting pitcher Caleb Taylor.
Eunice was able to scratch a run across in the top of the second inning when Josh Youngblood singled with two outs and advanced on a walk. Two wild pitches later, Youngblood had given the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.
Eunice added a single run to their lead in the top of the fourth as Doucet briefly faltered on the mound, giving up four walks in the inning.
Meanwhile the Panthers were able to get runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second, third and fourth innings. However, Pine Prairie could not come up with that clutch hit to bring those runners across until the bottom of the fifth.
After working out of a jam in the top of the fifth, Doucet came to the plate in the bottom half of the inning with one out and Drake Lee on second base.
With the count at two balls and one strike, Doucet drove an inside curve ball deep over the left field fence for a two-run home run; the only two runs the Panthers would manage in the game.
Eunice countered in the top of the sixth, adding another run to regain the lead at 3-2.
Youngblood sat Pine Prairie down in order in the bottom of the sixth to preserve the one run lead.
In the top of the seventh, the dam broke open for the Bobcats. Doucet gave up a base hit to Tyler Darbonne, the first batter in the inning. An error on the Panther shortstop and two wild pitches later, Doucet was pulled by Butts, and the ball was handed to Zac Lee.
Lee struggled throughout the inning, giving up six runs on three hits before being taken out of the game.
“Zac is usually pretty reliable on the mound for us,” Said Butts. “He just struggled a little. I think it was because we had been warming him up since the fifth inning and sat him down.”
Eunice finished the inning by scoring a total of nine runs to break the game open and take a 12-2 lead.
The Panthers managed to get runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but once again could not push them across the plate.
“We are going to need to stop giving up walks and start getting the timely hits if we want to win games like today,” said Butts. “I was not disappointed in today’s game. Our guys battled against a very good team today.”
With the loss, the Panthers fall to 9-6 on the year and 1-2 in District 5-3A play. Pine Prairie returns to district action today as they host Northwest High School.