Late rally falls short for SHHS

When down 5-0 after three innings, most teams would roll up camp and call it a day. However, not if you are the Lady Trojans of Sacred Heart. The fifth-ranked team did not simply lay down when the Cedar Creek Lady Cougars took a commanding lead in the second round of the Class 1A playoffs.
“These girls fight and they don’t know how to give up,” said SHHS Head Coach Doug Guillory after the game.
Errors allowed the Lady Cougars to take what seemed to be a commanding lead. In the bottom of the third inning, the errors would be the way the Lady Trojans would ignite their home crowd and get things going.
Hannah Fontenot reached base on an error and she would later score on a double from Taylor Perry. Heather Johnson hit into an error later in the inning, allowing Perry to score.
With the score at 5-2, Cedar Creek fired back and picked up two more runs in the top of the fourth block. A combination of hits helped the visiting team go up by five runs for the second time in the game.
Sacred Heart answered with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Heather Fontenot started things off with a single to right field. Hannah Fontenot kept things going when she hit into another error and Hannah Lemoine doubled behind her to score two runs. Courtney Cloud singled home a run before the inning ended, making it a 7-5 contest after four complete innings.
In the bottom of the fifth frame, the Lady Trojans tied the game up at 7-7. Elizabeth Soileau led off the inning with a single. A triple from Heather Johnson brought one run home to make it a one run game. Heather Fontenot hit into a fielder’s choice that allowed Johnson to score and tie the game up.
Going into the final two innings, things were going to come down to which team could play error-free ball. Cedar Creek found a way to score three runs in the top of the sixth inning. A leadoff walk was followed by a single to get the inning going. The next batter hit into an outfield error that allowed two runners to score and put another runner on third base. A single to center field scored the 10th run of the ball game.
The 10-7 lead would hold for Cedar Creek as they would leave Ville Platte with a win and a birth in the Class 1A State Tournament. The Lady Cougars moved on and will face Mangham Friday in Sulphur.
“I really want to thank these girls for allowing me to coach them,” Guillory said after the game. “It was a great season and they made it fun.”
Sacred Heart was District 5-1A Co-Champions and had a very good season.