Destrehan traditionally takes a road trip to Monroe each year with an eye on getting acclimated to the type of travel and routine it might see in the postseason.
That seems to have paid off in a significant way.
No. 14 seeded Destrehan swept host and No. 3 seeded West Monroe this weekend to advance to the Division I non-select quarterfinals. Destrehan defeated the Rebels 1-0 on Thursday and 5-3 on Friday to secure the sweep – and its spot in the next round.
Destrehan will face No. 6 seed Benton in the state quarterfinals. Benton defeated St. Amant in consecutive games Saturday to rally for a 2-1 series win after losing Game 1 11-6 to the 22nd seeded Gators. Benton won Saturday’s games 10-3 and 11-6. Benton will host the quarterfinal series.
DHS head baseball coach Chris Mire said his team was locked in mentally for the trip, and that while the Wildcats were underdogs by seeding, they approached the series with a quiet confidence.
“The guys are bought in,” Mire said. “I think they’re really starting to believe and our guys are playing good baseball at the right time. We’ve been in that environment before. We played them earlier in the year. And I think our guys were just ready. They were ready for the trip and ready to get after it.”
DHS is now 3-0 against the Rebels this season, also winning a regular season matchup on Feb. 20, 6-2.
In Friday’s game, the fifth inning proved the difference for Destrehan. With the game tied 1-1, DHS scored four in the bottom half, with Josh Muller’s RBI single and Chase Mire’s two-RBI single netting the Wildcats a 4-1 lead. Chase Marcotte scored on an error with two outs to make it 5-1.
“They know we like to play small ball, so they wanted to take the bunt away,” said Chris Mire. “They brought everybody in, and we were able to take second and Josh hits a hard line drive up the middle, and after that Chase Mire gets a big knock for a triple … we try to put relentless pressure on. We tried to do that against Fontainebleau (in Round 1) and we wanted to do that here. We believe if we can do that, over and over, eventually we’re going to get you.”
Bradyn Cupit’s triple in the top of the sixth scored two runs for West Monroe, but the Rebels got no closer. WMHS threatened in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs but Kade Thomas flied out to left fielder Derek Lucas, who put away the final out.
Mire went 1-for-3 with two RBIs for Destrehan. Josh Muller and Champ White each drove in runs. Brady Carter and Bryson Gabler stole bases for DHS.
Josh Muller earned the win for Destrehan (27-12), allowing two earned runs on four hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. Chase Marcotte earned the save, going 1.1 scoreless innings and allowing a hit and a walk.
Gage Carr took the loss on the mound for West Monroe (25-10), allowing three runs on three hits and two walks over 4 innings. He struck out three.
Ryder DeJean and Bradyn Cupit led the way for West Monroe offensively. Cupit drove in two runs, going 1-for-3 with a triple. DeJean went 2-for-2.
West Monroe entered as a team playing some of the best ball in the state, winner of 16-of-17 before the matchup with Destrehan.
GAME 1 – Brody Fairleigh, Brady Carter and Landyn Dugas combined for a shutout as Destrehan earned a 1-0 victory in the series opener.
The trio took on a tough task, outdueling Cupit who went the complete game and struck out 11, allowing one run on four hits and a walk.
“They like to hit fastballs, they like to pull the ball in the air a good bit, so we wanted to work with pitches moving away from them. They hadn’t seen Brody throw, and Brady Carter, that cutter is his pitch. So, we had the utmost confidence in those guys to go out and keep the ball moving away from them, and they did a great job for us.”
Fairleigh went four innings and earned the win, allowing three hits and a walk. Carter pitched two innings and allowed a hit and a walk. Dugas allowed one hit and walked none in an inning of play. Each struck out one batter.
The game was a scoreless pitchers’ duel until the top of the seventh inning, where Carter singled home Derek Lucas with two outs for what proved the game-deciding run. Lucas singled with one out earlier in the inning to set it up.
Lucas went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases. White also stole a base for DHS.
“Derek and Brady have both been performing really well, great down this home stretch. Derek laid a perfect bunt to the first baseline, just like he did last weekend against Fontainebleau. We got that baserunner we needed.”
Lucas stole his third base of the game, then Carter had a chance to deliver him home.
“He battles for a few pitches, he didn’t hit it hard, but they had to make a tough play and make a quick decision,” said Mire. “He ran a hard 90 down the line and beat it out.”
Destrehan had played in several 1-0 games in recent weeks against terrific pitching – losses to Hahnville and Fontainebleau (to open the first round series), and a win over St. Charles Catholic. The Wildcats were comfortable in that environment.
“I sensed zero panic as the zeros were going up on the board. I think we felt like we were getting to those later innings and watching (Cupit’s) pitch count get elevated … being in those 1-0 games definitely prepared us. And we say it every year, these games are going to make us better, get us ready for the playoffs. It’s good to see when you see that play out,” Chris Mire said.
Destrehan advances to the quarterfinal round for the first time since 2019.
This was also a milestone win for Mire as the team’s head coach – the victory in Game 2 represents his 300th career victory.
“This has been a close group all year,” said Mire. “They trust each other. They understand their roles and they’re executing at a high level. This just seems to be the right group, with the right vibes and the right connection. And we want to keep this thing going.
