About 20 minutes after Hahnville’s 10-3 loss to Destrehan in the first of two rivalry matchups last week, Tigers’ head coach Jared Vial and his staff heard a loud and clear message from standout sophomore Koa Romero.
“He said he wanted the ball on Thursday,” Vial said. “And I can tell you, this moment is what he’s made for.”
Romero backed it up on the mound, pitching a complete game shutout to help lift Hahnville to a 4-0 victory at Destrehan.
The rivals traded victories this year, each winning on the other’s home field. Romero was razor sharp, allowing just three hits and walking one while striking out eight to earn the win.
Romero said he wasn’t sure how deep into the game he’d pitch, but as things unfolded, he felt good – and his arm very live.
“After our first game – we didn’t play well, and I wanted to get off to a good start this game,” Romero said. “My arm felt great the whole time and I just stuck with my strengths – tried to get ahead with the fastball and work from there.”
Destrehan head coach Chris Mire said the Wildcats expected Romero to start – and expected him to present a large challenge.
“He’s a great competitor and a great player,” Mire said. We knew that. We had a feeling he’d throw today … he’s going to take losing personally. He filled up the zone. He attacked us and he had good life on his fastball early in the game. The rest of the way, it was about competing, finding a way to get his team one more out – and eventually, we were out of outs. He did a great job.”
Spencer Srubar took the loss for Destrehan (21-12), allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits and striking out four.
Hahnville (19-12) led from the very first pitch – thanks to Brayden Fontenot. The Tigers’ leadoff batter stepped into the box and blasted the ball out the park to put his team ahead 1-0.
“Yeah, I mean, all year he’s been exactly what we need him to be — a leader,” said Vial. “ I’m not shocked that he did that, just because of the fact that he puts in the work. He’s hitting probably until nine, ten o’clock at night, every night. So I’m glad that moment happened to him, because, I mean, he earned it.”
Fontenot said he went up with a plan.
“First at bat of the day, I expected a first pitch fastball,” said Fontenot. “We didn’t play well on Tuesday, but once today’s game started, we went up there, produced and we get to take home the win.”
It ignited the Tigers, who kept the pressure on. Kaleb Guarisco doubled and with one out, Landen Teague doubled him home to make it 2-0.
Romero struck out all three batters he faced in the bottom of the first inning. Hahnville added a third run on a Guarisco RBI single in the second inning.
That 3-0 score held until Romero plated one final run in the seventh inning with his own RBI single.
Bennett Naquin and Kaden Bran each scored runs for Hahnville.
Will Muller led Destrehan offensively, going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Mire said the beginning of the game brought a bit of deja vu – Shane Lee led off a 2024 game between the teams at Hahnville with a home run blast in the game’s first at bat.
After the game, Mire said Destrehan needed to refocus quickly, with a chance to earn home field advantage for round one of the playoffs still in the cards.
Vial, meanwhile, was pleased with how his team responded to a tough loss just two days earlier at home.
“We went in maybe a little too confident after the last two years and then that kind of kicked us back to reality,” Vial said. “It’s baseball, and as much as it is a huge rivalry, I thought our guys handled it well and did what we needed to do – put on the blinders, focus on us and play baseball.”
