Destrehan’s baseball season came to an end with a series loss to Alexandria Senior High School last weekend.
The Wildcats lost the first game of the regional playoff series 8-3 before bouncing back to win the second game 4-3.
Alexandria eliminated Destrehan in the third game on Saturday, beating the Wildcats 11-8.
For the first time in Louisiana, baseball teams played a three-game series in the playoffs to determine who advanced to the next round. Though his team lost, Destrehan head coach Marty Luquet said the new format is the greatest thing that has happened to high school baseball.
“You know the other team so well that it was so much fun,” Luquet said. “That was the most fun I’ve ever had in the playoffs. If you are a fan of baseball, that was the place to be.”
Destrehan 3 Alexandria 8
In Friday’s opening game, Alexandria jumped on top 3-0 in the second inning. However, the Wildcats cut into the lead in the fourth when Randy Harvey singled to right field to score Sam Steib and Brock Benedetto. Destrehan tied the game an inning later on a double to left field by Kade Granier that plated Brennan Breaud.
But Alexandria took the lead back with a run in the fifth and secured the win with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth on their way to an 8-3 victory.
Harvey led the Wildcats from the plate, going 1-for-1 with two RBIs. Granier was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Breaud and Ryan Brewer also recorded hits in the game.
Nick McClendon suffered the loss for Destrehan, giving up three runs on three hits in four innings.
Destrehan 4 Alexandria 3
After falling behind again in the second game, this time 3-0 in the first three innings, Destrehan responded with six of their best innings of the season in a thrilling 4-3 win.
The Wildcats began their comeback in the fifth inning when Jacob Cambre scored on an Alexandria error. Breaud later added another run when he slid home on a passed ball to make the score 3-2.
With the Wildcats trailing by a run in the bottom of the sixth, Nathan Pilutti put his team back in the game by blasting a home run to tie the score at 3-3.
“That sixth inning opposite field home run by Pilutti was so clutch,” Luquet said.
Granier kept the Alexandria bats at bay for the next three innings, setting the stage for a thrilling ninth inning.
Cambre drew a walk to start the frame and advanced to second on a grounder by Hunter Abadie. With two outs, Breaud stepped to the plate and lined a double to left field that scored Cambre and gave the Wildcats the win.
“Each team had chances to win and for Brennan to come up with that clutch hit was huge,” Luquet said.
Granier pitched the first eight innings for Destrehan, giving up eight hits and three earned runs. He struck out 11 in the game.
“They were the first team to hit Kade hard…no one had done that to him,” Luquet said. “He regrouped and kept us in the game.”
Logan Babin picked up the win after limiting Alexandria to one hit in the ninth inning.
Benedetto led the Wildcats from the plate, going 3-for-4. Granier was 2-for-3 while Breaud and Pilutti each recorded an RBI.
Destrehan 8 Alexandria 11
Destrehan went toe-to-toe with Alexandria throughout the first four innings, but the Trojans exploded for five runs in the bottom of the fifth to knock off the Wildcats, 11-8.Destrehan took a 3-2 lead in the second inning on a two-RBI single by Breaud. In the third, the Wildcats added three more runs to extend their lead to 6-2.
Pilutti doubled in one of those runs, and Cambre hit a single that scored both Benedetto and Pilutti.
Alexandria got one of those runs back in the third, and scored two more in the fourth to cut the Destrehan lead to 6-5.
The Trojans took control in the fifth, scoring five runs on two singles and a double to take a 10-6 lead.
Destrehan attempted a comeback in the sixth, with Benedetto singling in both Brewer and Granier on a fly ball that dropped in centerfield. However, that was as close as Destrehan got.
“Alexandria was a fine baseball team and we have nothing to be ashamed of,” Luquet said. “We played hard but they were very good and they were able to win. I was so proud of our guys.”
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