Pine Prairie sweeps Opelousas Catholic

By: LANCE REED

Sports Editor

Pine Prairie High School completed a sweep of Opelousas Catholic Monday afternoon. They defeated OCHS in softball and baseball as the Easter Holidays approached.

The softball game was a low-scoring contest. The PPHS girls took a 2-1 victory to remain perfect in district competition. Chelsey Fontenot was in the circle. She went the distance for her team. The senior collected nine strikeouts and surrendered only five hits.

The Lady Panthers scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth frame. Madison Murray singled to begin the inning and Chelsea West beat out a bunt. A fielder’s choice from Kayla Johnson moved both runners over into scoring position. Senior shortstop Alex Deville singled to bring Murray home and Emily Marcantel’s single pushed West across the plate. West ended the day 2-4 at the plate. Fontenot was 2-2 at the plate with a sacrifice.

The Lady Vikings answered with a run in the top of the sixth inning. Kami Hebert walked and scored on a double from Emily Miller.

The Lady Panthers improved to 17-6 and 6-0 in district. They traveled to Sacred Heart Wednesday to begin the second leg of the district schedule.

The PPHS boys took a 9-5 victory over the OCHS boys. Bryant Firmin got the win on the bump. He went five innings, fanning five batters and giving up just three earned runs. He was also 1-3 at the plate. Jonathan Fontenot picked up the save. He went two frames without giving up a run and striking out two batters.

The Panthers fell behind early. The Vikings got two runs on a walk, a hit and an outfield error. The Panthers answered back with four runs in their half of the first inning. Firmin began the inning with a single to right field and Zack Blood singled to center field. A double from Fontenot (2-3, DB, HR, 4 RBIs) scored both runners. Ashton Dupre reached base on an error to keep the inning going. A double from Robert Vidrine scored Dupre and a fielder’s choice from Caleb West scored Vidrine.

OCHS put up two runs in the second inning to knot the score at 4-4. A two-run home run sparked the Vikings’ rally. The Panthers answered back quickly. A single from Brandon Guillory (2-3, 2 RBIs) started the inning. He scored on a sacrifice fly from Jonathan Fontenot.

The Panthers took command of the game in the third frame. Trevor LeBlanc (4-4, RBI) led off the inning with a single and Kaleb Johnson doubled behind him. Guillory doubled, scoring both runs for Pine Prairie.

OCHS fired back with a run in the top of the fourth inning, making it a 7-5 ball game. The Panthers scooped up two insurance runs in the top of the sixth inning. Jonathan Fontenot hit a solo home run to begin the inning. Dupre singled and scored on a single from LeBlanc.

The Panthers improved to 4-0 in district. They traveled to Sacred Heart Wednesday to meet the Trojans.