After a Game 2 win to force a deciding final game in its quarterfinal baseball series at Zachary, Hahnville fell one win short of advancing to the Division I non-select state semifinals.
Zachary won the deciding game 6-1 Sunday, the No. 4 seeded Broncos advancing to the semifinal round where it will play No. 8 Dutchtown.
It brought to an end a Hahnville season that saw the Tigers finish 31-8, those 31 wins setting a new program record for wins in a season. That included a stretch that saw Hahnville win 24 out of 25 games. HHS carried a 20-game winning streak into the Zachary series.
“Zachary has a really good team … the ball didn’t bounce our way,” said Hahnville head baseball coach Jared Vial. “This one hurt and it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. But at the same time, I’m proud of our guys. They competed to the end. This is a team that’s really together – they handled their business day-to-day and really clicked all year. We just fell short in the end.”
The Tigers led 1-0 early in Game 3 on Koa Romero’s solo first inning home run. But Zachary plated three in the bottom half of the inning to take a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Tyler Wilson went 2-for-3 for Zachary (28-9), with one RBI and a run scored. Cullen Howard drove in two runs.
Javonte Gray took the loss on the mound for Hahnville, allowing two earned runs on two hits. Landen Teague came on in relief to pitch five innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out six.
Zachary’s Madden McClure went the complete game for the win, striking out three and allowing one earned run on four hits and four walks.
“(McClure) just went out and executed,” Vial said. “He was throwing breaking balls and changeups off the plate … he stayed away from us all game and made us jump at it. We tried making an adjustment there during the game, but he was just efficient. He’s a senior and I think he had a little bit of that back against the wall kind of competitor to him.”
Vial said a few defensive mistakes also cost the Tigers.
“That also kind of put us behind … it wasn’t our best day,” said Vial.
The two teams traded wins by the 10-run rule to begin the series. Hahnville scored its win in Game 2, earning an 11-1 victory that saw the Tigers score eight runs over the fourth and fifth innings to close the game early.
Brayden Fontenot went 3-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored for Hahnville. Kaleb Guarisco went 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Luke Heiden went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Landen Teague went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Kaiden Bran and Eli Landry each scored two runs.
“We were seeing them really well and we capitalized on some hits, stole some bases in that big (fifth) inning,” said Vial. “We kind of put some pressure on them … I was proud that our guys bounced back and had some quality at-bats after Game 1 shocked us a little bit. We were able to come out and do the same thing to them.”
Koa Romero went the complete game to earn the win, striking out eight over five innings. He allowed one earned run on three hits and a walk. Cullen Howard took the loss for Zachary, allowing four earned runs in four innings on eight hits and three walks.
Fontenot gave Hahnville breathing room with his two-out single in the bottom of the fourth inning, driving in a run to make it a 3-1 Tigers lead. HHS finished the game in the fifth, starting with Heiden’s RBI single. Fontenot again provided a highlight, doubling home two runs later in the inning to make it 9-1. Kaiden Bran, Guarisco and Teague each drove in runs in the inning to seal the win.
The series opener was dominated by the Broncos. Hahnville fell behind 2-0 before rallying to tie in the top of the third. But Zachary rolled from there, scoring 2, 4 and 4 runs in the final three innings to win it in five.
McClure went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs scored and three RBIs. Noah Sullivan went 2-for-4 with a double and four RBIs. Kam Bailey homered, going 2-for-3 with four runs scored and three RBIs.
Sullivan went the complete five inning game, striking out seven and allowing one earned run on two hits and a walk.
Guarisco homered for Hahnville. Teague doubled and scored a run for Hahnville. Bennett Naquin drove in a run as well.
Matt Plaisance took the loss for Hahnville, allowing three earned runs on two hits and five walks.
Vial said he and the Tigers knew the series would be a challenge, and the expectation was that the series would go the distance.
He said that Sullivan, a Louisiana Tech commit, was as advertised.
“He was really sharp … one of the top pitchers we’ve faced this year,” Vial said.
Hahnville’s 31 wins came against one of the toughest schedules in the state. The Tigers earned the District 8-5A championship, going unbeaten in league play, and earned the No. 5 seed in Division I non-select and an opening round bye, The 5 seed was the highest Hahnville has reached since the power point system was implemented.
Vial said that while of course the team wanted to march on and into the semifinals, this season should make the Tigers even more formidable next year. The team will return the vast majority of its lineup and pitching rotation next year, with Naquin representing the lone everyday senior starter this season.
“These guys definitely raised the bar this year,” said Vial. “So, we’ve got to really lock in and have a good offseason and bring the mindset into next year that we’ve got unfinished business … this group has put Hahnville baseball in everybody’s ear around the state … we’re excited for the team we’ve got coming back.”
