Crowley downs Americans for Mustang win
By Tom Dodge
The Crowley Americans captured the Mustang title Monday with a 18-7 win over the Eunice Americans.
Crowley took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning and scored in every frame to earn a berth in the section tournament that begins Friday in Mamou.
Pete Brown singled and scored on Alex Ashby’s hit to right field. Ashby stole home to push Crowley ahead 2-0.
After Joe Faulk struck out, Shay Zaunbrecher drew a walk off Eunice starting pitcher Caleb Taylor and Zaunbrecher scored on Jon Riley Mouton’s sacrifice bunt for a 3-0 advantage.
Eunice responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take its only lead of the game.
Drake Brunet singled and Logan Hebert was hit by a pitch to begin the Eunice rally.
Christian Taylor drove in Brunet and William Chachere bunted in Hebert to close the gap to 3-2.
Cade Richard drilled a triple to score Cachere and Brown as Eunice grabbed a slim one-run lead.
Crowley exploded for seven runs in the top of the second to push its lead to 10-4, an advantage they would not relinquish.
Zack Breaux reached on an error before Sam Hoffpauir and Jake Reiners both walked.
Breaux scored on a passed ball as Hoffpauir and Reiners both scored on a double by Brown.
Ashby kept the rally alive with a single and later stole home.
Faulk drew a walk and scored on Zaunbrecher’s sacrifice as Crowley continued to extend its lead.
Jon Riley Mouton drilled a triple and then scored when Pate Broussard and Breaux hit back-to-back singles and Crowley led by six runs.
Crowley scored three more runs in the top of the third to grab a 13-4 advantage.
Ashby singled, stole second and scored on a single by Faulk.
Faulk would move to the corner on two consecutive stolen bases and scored on Riley’s two-out double.
Mouton scored on Broussard’s single to center as Crowley pushed its margin to nine runs.
Crowley moved ahead 15-4 in the top of the fourth inning and seemed poised for the 10-run mercy rule win.
Hoffpauir singled and scored on a sacrifice by Reiners. Ashby drew a walk and crossed home plate on Faulk’s double as the Crowley bats continued to produce runs.
Eunice extended the game to another inning when the Americans scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to 15-6.
Brown drew a walk and scored on Lafleur’s RBI as Eunice attempted to stay alive against Crowley. Lafleur scored on Brunet’s two-out hit to pull the Americans within nine runs again.
Crowley scored three runs in the top of the fifth inning, begun when Broussard walked and scored on a triple by Breaux.
Blaine Sonnier then drove in Breaux and Brown reached on a single.
After Eunice recorded a double play, Ashby blasted a ground-rule double to score Brown and complete Crowley’s high-scoring romp.
Trailing 18-6, The Americans loaded the bases, but Eunice could only score one final run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Hebert singled and touched home plate on Richard’s RBI.
Eunice defeated the Opelousas Americans 5-3 in an elimination game earlier on Monday to advance to the finals.