Trojans ease through to regional playoff game

If the Sacred Heart Trojans could have wished for the perfect bi-district playoff game, they probably would have wished for a mistake free game with plenty of offense and hopefully a chance to get some playing time for some of their bench players. Wish granted. The Trojans played a flawless game on defense and scored enough runs to feel at ease throughout the game in a 9-0 win over the Varnado Vikings on Thursday. On top of that, Sacred Heart got some field time for players that could play an important role down the line in the championship hunt.
With the win, the Trojans will play against Crescent City Christian out of Metairie in a regional contest. The Pioneers defeated Mangham High School on Friday. Crescent City was the lower seed against Mangham and had to travel, so Sacred Heart will have to travel to Metairie for the second round game. As of press time, the date and time of the contest had not been agreed upon by the two coaches.
Against Varnado, Sacred Heart scored early and often to gain a comfortable lead. Starting Trojan pitcher, Phillip Vidrine, showed his dominance from pitch number one. Vidrine sat down the Vikings in order in the top of the first, striking out two of the three batters he faced. In the bottom of the first, Sacred Heart got on the board, plating a single run. Evan Mire reached first base to lead off the inning on an error by the catcher. Keaton Tate grounded to the shortstop, who then stepped on second base to put out Mire, but could not get Tate out.
Brandon Hudspeth was then hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second with one out. A passed ball moved Tate to third base. The very next batter, Jacob L. Lafleur plated Tate on a sacrifice fly to centerfield for Sacred Heart’s first run of the game. Hudspeth was thrown out by the catcher trying to get to second base on the throw in to the plate from the centerfielder, ending the inning.
Varnado could not get anything going once again in the top of the second inning, as Vidrine and Josh Lahaye combined to retire the side in order. The Trojans basically put the game away in the bottom of the second, as Sacred Heart scored seven runs on five hits. Collected hits in the inning were Vidrine, Tate, Hudspeth, Lafleur and Caleb Soileau. Hudspeth and Soileau both singled, while Vidrine and Tate doubled. The big hit was a laser off of the bat of Lafleur that traveled over the leftfield wall for a two-run home run. At the end of two innings the Trojans lead 8-0.
The third inning was mostly uneventful for both squads. The top of the fourth ended in the same fashion for the Vikings, as Jacob Luke Lafleur continued the Trojan dominance on the hill. Varnado went down in order again, as Sacred Heart retained their 8-0 lead. The Trojans plated their last run in the bottom of the fourth, when Jacob L. Lafleur singled home Hudspeth, who was on second after leading off with a double.
The fifth through seventh innings belonged to Soileau and Jacob A. Lafleur on the mound. Soileau threw one inning, while Lafleur finished the game, pitching two complete scoreless innings. That would be all that the Trojans needed, as they coasted to the win.
Leading the way at the plate for Sacred Heart was Jacob L. Lafleur who went three for four with four runs batted in and a run scored. Hudspeth went two for two, scoring twice. Vidrine picked up the win, throwing two and one third innings. Vidrine gave up zero runs on zero hits and struck out two.