Hahnville head coach Kade Rogers said that last week was like a roller coaster ride for his young Tigers, who started out the season 9-5 but had only won one game in their last four attempts.
But the Tigers (11-8) were able to put all that behind them as they opened district play with a 3-1 victory over East Ascension (10-9).
“We talked about starting a new season,” Rogers said. “Everything in the past means nothing. It’s like the first day for us.”
Hahnville senior pitcher Matt Allo paced the Tigers to the win, allowing only three hits. While Allo didn’t record a strikeout, he didn’t walk a batter either.
But it was sophomore first baseman Mike Ford who knocked in the go-ahead run in the sixth. Ford, who finished a perfect 4-for-4 on the day, knocked a single over second base with the bases loaded.
That scored Allo and gave the Tigers the victory.
“It was a tough game, as every game will be from here on out,” Rogers, whose team travels to Destrehan today at 4 p.m. to take on their rival, said. “Every team in this district is tough.”
After taking on Destrehan, the Tigers will host Dutchtown at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The first round then continues with games against St. Amant and East St. John next week.
“Those four games in a row are brutal, but you always want to win those games and finish the first round undefeated,” Rogers said. “That’s our goal.”
The district-opening win was a good sign for the Tigers, who had struggled as of late. Hahnville took part in the Gerard Oubre Memorial Tournament last weekend and began the event with a 15-4 loss to Ouachita. The Tigers followed that with an 8-5 loss to Brother Martin on Saturday and picked up a win in their final game, beating Holy Cross 7-4.
“We will play good one game and then not play hard the next,” Rogers said. “I’ve said before that this is an average team, and we have to play hard every game if we want to win.”
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