March 2, 2005

Wildcats sweep up

Jones, Gardere pitch shutouts in sweep of Baton Rouge Catholic

By Eric LeBlanc
Sports Editor
(Photo by ERIC LEBLANC)

The Destrehan Wildcats are out to prove that they are just as good as last year’s team, which was nationally ranked. A testament to that came this weekend when the Wildcats swept a three-game series from the Baton Rouge Catholic Bears, who were their only loss in the regular season last year. The two Saturday games held at Destrehan were both won with great pitching and hitting. The Wildcats took the first game 6-0 and second 9-0.

Beau Jones pitched the first game and recorded a two-hit shutout while striking out 13 and walking none. He picked up his second victory of the year with the win.

Leading the offense were catcher Jacob Long who was three for four with three runs scored, third baseman Alex Boudreaux who drove in two runs, designated hitter Kyle Shnowski who was two for two with an RBI and a run scored, and left fielder Brandon Stevens who was two for four with a double and an RBI.

The game began as a pitchers duel with neither team scoring in the first or second innings. Then the Wildcats started a rally in the third. Shortstop Tyrone Wethers led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch and was followed by a Long single. After two outs, Boudreaux singled and drove both runs in to give Destrehan a 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats scored again in the fourth when a Kyle Gardere single drove in Shnowski who was hit by a pitch. Then a Tyrone Wethers fielder’s choice drove in Gardere to extend the lead to 4-0.

The fifth and sixth each produced one run as Shnowski drove in Boudreaux with a single in the fifth and Stevens doubled home Long in the sixth.

Jones had struck out eight through the fifth inning and then struck out the side in the sixth and two out of three batters in the seventh to give the Wildcats the victory. Jones faced one more than the minimum in the game.

The second game featured the pitching of Kyle Gardere who threw a six-hit shutout while striking out four and walking one. Gardere picked up his first victory of the season in the game.

Leading the offense were Jones who was two for four with three RBIs and a run scored, Tyrone Wethers who was two for four with an RBI and two runs scored, Stevens who was two for four with a run scored and first baseman Lynn Matherne who was two for three with a run scored.

The second game started much like the first, with both pitchers dominating the first three innings. But in the fourth, the Wildcats put the game away.

Long led off the inning with a double. Then Jones drove him in with a RBI single while Stevens followed with a double. A sacrifice fly by Boudreaux then brought in Jones to bring the score to 2-0. With Stevens on second, Matherne reached on an error and Steven Fisher loaded the bases with a walk. Then right fielder Travis Wethers drove in Stevens with another walk. Matherne then scored on a Shnowski fielder’s choice and Tyrone Wethers drove in his brother with an RBI single. Shnowski and Tyrone Wethers would come around to score as well when Long reached on an error and the Wildcats led 7-0 after four.

The fifth inning passed with the pitchers regaining control of the game, but the Wildcats struck again in the sixth. After Shnowski led off the inning by reaching on an error, Tyrone Wethers followed with a single. Jones then drove both of them in with a single to give the Wildcats their final score of 9-0.

With the victories, the Wildcats improve to 4-0 on the season. Destrehan will next be playing in the Neville Tournament from Thursday through Saturday.

Eric LeBlanc can be reached at EricL@heraldguide.com or at (985) 758-2795, ext. 219.