By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports
BALL – Juniors Mallory Edwards and Madelyn Halle both homered, and Pineville scored 11 runs over the final three innings to run away with a 13-0 victory over Tioga in the Division I Select quarterfinals last Friday at the Ward 10 Complex.
Edwards gave the sixth-seeded Lady Rebels (21-13) a 2-0 lead with a two-run blast in the second inning, and Halle doubled the lead with a two-run shot in the fifth inning.
That was more than enough offense for junior Addalyn Burch, who gave up just four singles and held the Lady Indians’ vaunted senior class to a combined 0-for-9 at the plate.
“Burch has been great these past three weeks,” Pineville coach Allison Frye said. “She’s been lights out. She’s owning up to her mistakes. She’s working hard. I think she’s confident in her defense behind her, and she’s giving us a chance.”
The victory earned the Lady Rebels a berth in this weekend’s state softball tournament in Sulphur, where they will play No. 2 seed John Curtis in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday.
The pre-game hype for the quarterfinal showdown built this contest up as the biggest in Rapides Parish all season.
Tioga (24-7), the No. 3 seed and last season’s state runner-up, vs. sixth-seeded Pineville, located just 4.5 miles away and looking for a return to Sulphur for the first time since 2021. Despite the proximity, the two teams hadn’t played during the past three seasons.
The hype delivered a massive crowd that filled the Ward 10 Recreation Complex. Unfortunately, the result of the game didn’t match the expectation as the Lady Rebels pounded out 16 hits, including five for extra bases, and a competitive contest early turned into a runaway blowout.
After Halle’s homer in the fifth, the Lady Rebels put the game away with five runs in the sixth, including a two-run double by Savanna Johnson, and four more in the seventh, including an RBI double by Halle.
Edwards and Halle combined to go 5-for-8 with two homers, a double, seven RBIs and five runs scored. Johnson added three hits and two RBIs as all but one Pineville starter got a hit in the game.
“My uncle coaches here and my brother goes here, so it was kind of a big game for me,” said Halle, who hit her 10th homer of the season. “I was, like, really stressed out. They were here in the back. The first two at-bats, I didn’t have very good at-bats, so I come in and hit that home run. The emotions were so high. I just didn’t even know what to do or what to feel like.”
Frye said she and the Lady Rebels “always knew we had the ability” to make the state tournament, but they got off to a rough start to the season as they experimented and tried to figure out what worked best for them.
“I’ve never coached a team that has faced as much adversity and been able to stay positive through it all,” Frye said. “For them to be able to have that mentality and build throughout the season, even though it was tough, I knew they were special.”
- THOMAS MORE 11, ASH 1:The Lady Trojans (17-16) managed just one single by Sarah Grace Buckels as the top-seeded Lady Cougars eliminated ASH in the Division I Select quarterfinals.
ASH took a 1-0 lead without getting a hit in the first inning on Amiyah Wilson’s sacrifice fly, but STM (29-3) answered with five runs on four hits and three errors.
Addison Lafferty, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and six RBIs, ended the game with a walk-off three-run homer in the fifth inning.
BUCKEYE 8, DAVID THIBODAUX 0: Senior Olivia Henry struck out eight batters and gave up just four hits in a shutout performance to send the Lady Panthers (25-7) back to Sulphur with a quarterfinal victory in the Division II Select playoffs.
Seeking its third straight state title, Buckeye scored in five straight innings, getting a two-run homer from Sidney St. Pé and four doubles in a 13-hit effort.
St. Pé, Allison Brossett, Adysen Mitchell, Makinley Miller and Ashlee Belgard each had two hits for Buckeye, while St. Pé and Miller each drove in two runs.
The No. 1-seeded Lady Panthers will face No. 4 E.D. White at 5 p.m. Friday in Sulphur.
NOTRE DAME 11, MENARD 10: The Lady Eagles put the tying and winning runs on base with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but they were not able to come up with a clutch hit to rally in an offensive slugfest that featured seven extra-base hits and 26 total hits.
After a walk and a bunt single by Emma Davis, Sawyer Shelton popped up a bunt, Emily DeSelle popped out to second base and Addy Wright ended the game with a hard liner that was snagged by Notre Dame third baseman Lillian Guidry.
Notre Dame (27-6) took a 6-1 lead before the Lady Eagles cut the deficit to one with a four-run third inning on a two-run single by Wright and a two-run double by Sophie Giordano.
Kaylee Methvin’s three-run home run in the fifth inning gave the fourth-seeded Lady Eagles (21-11) their first lead of the game as they put up five runs in the inning to take a 10-8 lead.
The Lady Pios scored two in the sixth to tie the game and took the lead in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly that was caught at the fence by Annabelle Drago, allowing Menard to stay within striking distance.
The loss snapped a 17-game winning streak for the Lady Eagles as they fell one win short of advancing to the Division III Select state tournament.
DeSelle, Menard’s lone senior, finished her storied career with a 3-for-5 performance that included a solo home run and three runs scored. Giordano had three hits, including the two-run double, while Wright went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
GRACE CHRISTIAN 13, AVOYELLES CHARTER 0: Junior Rylee Guillot struck out 13 batters and gave up just one hit as the Lady Warriors (22-6) advanced back to Sulphur and the Division V semifinals.
Ava Guillot went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, while Hanna Juneau finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Sydney Avery, Wynnlee Vincent and Rylee Guillot each had two hits and drove in a run.
No. 1 seed Grace scored two runs in the first inning and one in the second before exploding for a 10-run third inning. The Lady Warriors will face No. 5 St. Joseph’s at 2:30 p.m. Friday in Sulphur.