Rain pushes playoffs back
A near two-hour rain delay, coupled with persistent showers and lightning, proved to be too much for host Catholic High and Barbe to overcome and complete their Class 5A state regional playoff game Monday at Grizzly Field.
Umpires informed both coaches that play would resume at 4 p.m. Tuesday with top-seeded Barbe holding a 3-1 lead with one out in the top of the third over No. 17 seed Catholic High.
The reward is a bid to the Class 5A state tournament at Tulane’s Turchin Field, where Barbe (29-6) is going for its seventh straight appearance and Catholic (23-12) its third consecutive.
Top-seeded Parkview Baptist and eighth-seeded Loranger also had their Class 3A quarterfinal game suspended in the first inning. The game will resume at 5 p.m. Tuesday. And Denham Springs’ game against Lafayette was delayed until 4 p.m. Tuesday at Lafayette.
“We’re going to come back and stick to the same game plan,” Catholic coach Brad Bass said. “We like our game plan and trust it. We trust our approach. They’re a good ballclub. They got off to a quick start on us.”
Both teams warmed up in a constant drizzle before starting the game without a drop of rain.
Kennon Fontenot delivered a one-out homer to left field off Catholic starter Grant Borne, and Barbe added another run in the first inning on a throwing error.
The Buccaneers made it 3-0 an inning later when Ole Miss signee Gavin Cecchini scored on Fontenot’s infield single.
Catholic struck back in its half of the second when Landon Broussard led off the inning with a solo homer to left-center field off Barbe starter Bryce Kingsley.
Borne, who allowed three hits and struck out one, recorded the first out of the third inning when rain started to fall. Borne then hit Mandy Cintron with his first offering and had a 2-2 count on Victor Negron when play was halted and the tarp was applied.
More than a half-hour later the tarp was taken off the field and the infield reworked, but rain persisted and the tarp was re-applied.
“Looking at the radar, it looked like it was heading north, and then all of a sudden it was on top of us,” said Bass, who intends to start right-handed David Lasavio in place of Borne. “There were some thunderstorms and lightning in the area, so there’s no reason to take a chance and getting someone hurt this close to the tournament.”
PARKVIEW VS. LORANGER: Top-seeded Parkview Baptist and eighth-seeded Loranger were tied 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning when play was suspended Monday in a Class 3A baseball quarterfinal playoff game.
Parkview leftfielder Hezekiah Randolph was at third base and designated hitter Beau Brignac at the plate with two outs when heavy rains and lightning halted play.
The game will resume at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Parkview. The winner advances to a Friday semifinal game against fifth-seeded Iowa at McMurry Park in Sulphur. North DeSoto and E.D. White meet in the other semifinal.
Parkview (27-6) had senior Colin Rogers, an Auburn signee, on the mound. Rogers hit the first two batters he faced, and Loranger (26-4) loaded the bases on an infield error. Catcher Austin Fandal hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Damon Blake as the Wolves led 1-0 with one out. Rogers struck out the next two batters.
Parkview’s Russell Reynolds reached base on an infield error in the bottom of the first with one out. Randolph was hit by a pitch. The two runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch by Brennan Catalano.
Reynolds scored moments later on a passed ball. Rogers struck out and Brignac was at the plate.
Parkview beat its first two playoff opponents by a combined 27-2, while Loranger won by a 19-4 margin.
Chris Chapple
and the Advocate staff
contributed to this report.