By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
Menard sophomore pitcher Kaylee Methvin surpassed a major milestone last week.
The Lady Eagles’ standout picked up her 400th career strikeout in Tuesday’s 15-0 victory over Pickering. Menard also celebrated senior shortstop Emily DeSelle, the team’s only senior, prior to the game during an “Emily Night” celebration.
DeSelle, last season’s All-Parish Outstanding Player, is batting .554 on the season with five home runs and 36 RBIs and is wrapping up one of the greatest careers in Menard softball history.
The Lady Eagles picked up two district victories last week over Pickering and Avoyelles (15-2) as they ran their winning streak to 10 games and improved to 14-10 on the season. They have moved up to No. 5 in the Division III Select power rankings during their winning streak.
Menard also improved to 6-0 in District 4-2A with a huge week ahead this week. The Lady Eagles host Rosepine on Tuesday before traveling to Oakdale on Thursday. Rosepine and Oakdale have one loss in district play, both coming against Menard.
Methvin improved to 13-5 on the season and has 120 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched.
TIOGA’S HANLEY HAS CAREER NIGHT: Tioga sophomore center fielder Conlei Hanley turned in a performance to remember in last week’s 14-0 victory over Catholic-New Iberia.
Hanley went 3-for-3 with three home runs and eight RBIs. She gave the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the second inning, her two-run bomb in the next inning gave Tioga a 9-0 lead, and she followed that with a grand slam in the third inning for a 13-0 advantage.
On the season, Hanley has a .418 batting average, is tied for the team lead with six homers and is second on the team with 27 RBIs.
Senior Christina Lambert improved her record to 9-2 in the circle with the shutout and lowered her ERA to 2.60. Lambert also pitched a complete game in Tioga’s 6-2 victory over Franklin Parish to wrap up District 2-4A play.
The Lady Indians, who have won five games in a row, are 18-5 on the season and ranked No. 4 in the Division I Select softball power ratings heading into Monday’s showdown at Buckeye. They close with five tough contests over the final 10 days of the regular season.
ASH SWEEPS RED RIVER RIVALRY: Alexandria Senior High’s softball and baseball teams made it a perfect 4-0 against District 2-5A and parish rival Pineville with three victories last week.
The Lady Trojans (14-13), who defeated Pineville 11-9 at Johnny Downs Sports Complex on March 12, went on the road last Thursday and completed the season sweep with a 10-3 victory over the Lady Rebels (14-12).
ASH jumped on top with five runs in the first inning, powered by a grand slam by freshman Caitlyn Land, who went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Senior first baseman Makayla Dangerfield had two hits and two runs scored, while sophomore right fielder Anniston Fairbanks had an RBI single and a two-run double.
Despite the sweep, Pineville remains ahead of ASH in the Division I Select softball power ratings. The Lady Rebels are ranked seventh, while the Lady Trojans are eighth.
ASH swept the Thursday-Friday baseball series, winning 7-5 at Pineville and then 7-1 at home, to improve to 14-7 on the season and 6-0 in District 2-5A.
The Trojans, No. 9 in the Division I Select baseball power ratings, took control of the first game thanks to a five-run second inning that featured two bases-loaded walks and another hit by pitch that scored a run. Sophomore Caden Extine also drove home two runs on a single.
They didn’t need much offense in the second game as freshman Jack Lee gave up just four hits and one run with eight strikeouts in a complete-game performance.
The Trojans scored three in the first inning thanks to a bases-loaded hit by pitch and a two-run single by senior Chase Palmer, and they plated three more in the fifth when six straight batters reached on walks and hit by pitches.
Junior outfielder Miguel Magallon and junior catcher Brayden Rachal were the Trojans’ standout performers at the plate during the series. Rachal went 3-for-5 with three doubles and an RBI, while Magallon finished 4-for-7 with a double and four RBIs.
The Trojans travel to fellow 2-5A unbeaten West Monroe, ranked fourth in Division I Non-Select, on Thursday and then host West Monroe on Friday at Menard.
MENARD BASEBALL FINDING GROOVE: Coming off a 29-7 season and runner-up finish in Division III Select with 14 seniors returning, expectations were extremely high for the Menard baseball team in 2024.
So it was a mild surprise when the Eagles started the season 0-5 and lost seven of their first 10 games, even if six of those losses came against powerhouses St. Louis, Barbe, Natchitoches Central and Lutcher – teams all ranked in the top two of the power ratings in their respective divisions.
Over the last three weeks, though, the Eagles have flipped the switch. After sweeping Rosepine last week with 2-1 and 4-1 wins, Menard has won seven in a row and 10 of its last 11 games to improve to 13-8 on the season. The Eagles are currently ranked No. 5 in the Division III Select power ratings.
Senior Cooper Scott hit a walk-off home run on Tuesday to finish off Coen Laroux’s complete-game four-hitter, and then Scott threw a complete-game three-hitter two days later. Senior first baseman Drake Aldredge hit two RBI doubles in that victory.
The Eagles are 6-0 in District 4-2A with four district games remaining, including Tuesday and Thursday against second-place Oakdale.