SHHS blasts Mangham with offense

When the ninth seeded Trojans traveled to north Louisiana to meet the eighth seeded Mangham Dragons, most SHHS fans and others around the state expected a dog fight to be on their hands. After all, the Dragons had won the Class 1A State Title last year with a 4-2 win over Central Catholic of Morgan City. The Trojans made sure a repeat is not in the cards as they pounded 16 hits against MHS and won the game by a score of 14-2.
“It is just awesome, right now,” said SHHS Head Coach Cody Vidrine. “We are playing with confidence and the boys are having fun and so is everyone else.”
Vidrine guides the Trojans into the quarter-finals for the first time in eight years. Who will they meet in the quarter-finals? Well none other than the same school who eliminated them from the playoffs in football, Ouachita Christian. The top seeded Eagles will come to Ville Platte Monday at 4:30 p.m. to face the Trojans. The Trojans dropped a 6-3 contest to Menard the last time they went to the quarter-finals.
SHHS scored a run in the top of the first inning Tuesday evening. Keaton Tate reached on a fielder’s choice and then stole second base and advanced to third on a stolen base as well. A single from Andy Lafleur (4-5 on the day, 3 RBI) sent Tate home to give the Trojans their first lead of the day.
Mangham bunted for a base hit to begin their half of the first inning. A double with one out pushed the run home and knotted the game at 1-1.
The Trojans wasted no time answering back. They rattled off four runs in the top of the second inning. Brandon Hudspeth walked to begin the inning and he would score on a triple from Caleb Soileau. Grant Manuel walked to put runners on the corners and Ben Bergeron came in the game to run for him. A ground ball to first by Garrett Fontenot scored Soileau and Bergeron came home on a single from Evan Mire. Moments later, Lafleur singled home another run to make it a 5-1 contest.
Philip Vidrine fell into a groove from that point. He fanned the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the second inning and held Mangham scoreless for the next three innings.
“He is a competitor and he likes the ball in his hands,” Vidrine said of his junior pitcher. “I have full confidence in all our pitchers. They fulfill their roles exactly as the team needs them too.
Vidrine’s defense backed him perfectly as well. A spectacular play from Tate at third base awed both sides of the ball pack in the bottom of the third block.
In the top of the fourth inning, the Trojans picked up another run. Evan Mire reached on a base hit and then stole second base. Moments later, Mire swiped the third bag also. A deep fly ball from Wesley Fontenot allowed Mire to tag up and score, making it a 6-1 contest.
The Dragons fired off a run in the bottom of the fifth block, but that seemed to simply set the Trojan’s offense off. Sacred Heart came into the game with an “W.A.O.” attitude which politely means “We All One.” They play together for one another.
In the top of the sixth inning that was never more evident. The Trojans rattled off eight runs and blew the Dragons out of the water.
With one out, Tate singled to get the ball moving and Wesley Fontenot reached on a walk. Andy Lafleur hit into a fielder’s choice in which he beat out for another base hit. Parrott drew a walk that scored one run and then Hudsepth was hit by a pitch to move one more run home. Caleb Soileau ripped a single to score two runs and Garrett Fontenot singled in one as well. Evan Mire made his second trip to the plate of the inning and drove home a run with a single. Mire was 4-5 at the plate on the day. Fontenot and Tate each singled home one more run, making it a 14-2 contest.
Andy Lafleur took the hill in the bottom of the sixth inning to get the save. He gave up a single, but then recorded three straight outs to end the game due to the 10-run mercy rule.
The Trojans will now host the Eagles. Ouachita Christian, the top seed in Class 1A, started off the year with three straight losses to Class 5A schools. As the season went on, they got better and worked their way up to an overall record of 23-9.
Their last loss came to Class 4A Benton on April 26th by a score 13-6. OCHS has also lost to Cedar Creek 8-3 in early April. In the post-season, the Eagles defeated Southern Lab 14-0 and more recently LaSalle 14-2.
Taking out the top seed will be tough, but many have done it before. The Trojans have the home field advantage and a large crowd is expected to cheer on the Trojans as they try to get the Class 1A semi-finals, which are in Sulphur at McMurry Park late next week.