Panthers beat Trojans, secure second place

By: LANCE REED

Sports Editor

The Sacred Heart Trojans (14-11, 6-6) traveled to Pine Prairie to meet the Panthers (18-11, 8-3) Monday. The two teams had played a very tough contest in their first meeting with the Trojans pulling out a 6-4 victory over the Panthers. With the Class 2A playoffs nearing, both teams recognized the severity of this contest. Each team would use several pitchers in the contest as the two teams combined for 18 runs.

The home team got on the board in their first trip to the plate. Zack Blood and Ashton Dupre walked with one out. Blood scored on a single from Jonathan Fontenot and Dupre later crossed the dish on a passed ball. The Panthers increased their lead in their next trip to the plate. Three runs were plated overall. Kyle Maricle drew a two-out walk and Brandon Guillory singled behind him. Leadoff hitter, Bryant Firmin, came to the plate and kept the inning going with his first of two hits on the day. Blood slipped a triple through the outfield and emptied the bases. Blood finished the day with a 2-3 performance. He doubled later in the game.

Down 5-0, Sacred Heart was in trouble. However, the young Trojans buckled down and in the top of the third inning and pushed four runs across the plate. Youngster Taylor Veillon led off the inning with a solo home run. Brody Fontenot drew a walk and one out later; Jacob Ardoin was hit by a pitch. First baseman Brandon Manuel looked at the first pitch he saw and then blasted a three-run bomb over the outfield wall.

With their lead cut down to a run, the Panthers were quick to reveal their resiliency. Fontenot led off the inning with his first of two doubles. He was 3-4 at the plate for the home team. Two outs later, Fontenot found the plate on a fielder’s choice from Marcus Veillon. Sacred Heart matched the run with a run of their own in the fourth inning. Drake Fontenot walked and later crossed the plate on a single from Brody Fontenot.

Keeping with the game’s trend, the Panthers responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. They increased their 6-5 lead on a pair of hits and two errors. Firmin reached base on an error and Blood ripped a double. Ashton Dupre singled that allowed Firmin to move 90 feet for a run. Blood later scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Fontenot.

With an 8-5 lead and the game having a back and forth trend, the Panthers wanted to continue to put runs on the board. They scooped up three in the bottom of the fifth frame. With two outs, Maricle laced a double in the outfield. Guillory (2-3, RBI) found his second hit of the night and pushed Maricle home. Firmin drilled a double to keep the inning going. That allowed Guillory to score. Firmin came across the plate later in the inning on a passed ball.

The Trojans found a way to respond to their 11-5 deficit in the top of the seventh inning. Derek Fontenot and Jacob Ardoin led off the frame with singles. A fielder’s choice from Seth LeBlanc got one run home and a double from Stuart Schexnayder scored another run. The rally fell short, as the Panthers got an 11-7 victory over the Trojans.

Taylor Veillon, Jacob Ardoin and Brody Fontenot all did work on the hill for the Trojans. Veillon took the loss as the starter. Bryant Firmin got the win on the bump for the Panthers. He went four innings and was later relieved by Jonathan Fontenot.

The Panthers were slated to host Westminster on Friday. A victory for the Panthers meant a tie for the District 6-2A crown. At press time, it was not known if the two teams played or not due to the weather.