Facing the No. 1 ranked power points team in Division II select for a home-and-home series last week, Hahnville set out to make a statement.
The message was loud: back-to-back wins, as it continues to become apparent the ceiling of this Tiger team, and all it can accomplish this season, is very, very high.
Hahnville defeated the Terriers in Boutte, 5-4, in eight innings last Thursday. A day later, the Tigers traveled to Houma and nailed down a win in a wild 21-12 slugfest.
Adding this week’s 15-0 Tiger win over H.L. Bourgeois to the total, Hahnville has now won nine games in a row and 16 of its last 17 games – an 8-7 loss to Brother Martin standing as the team’s only blemish over the past month. Seven of the nine wins in the current streak are over teams projected to be in the playoff field of their respective classification.
It’s pulled Hahnville into 7th in the Division I select power points rankings, meaning if the playoffs began today, the Tigers (18-6) would be the 7th seed and host at least one postseason series.
In game one of the set against Vandebilt (18-6), Hahnville trailed 4-2 entering the bottom of the seventh inning. With Corey Bourgeois on the hill – and in the midst of a 10-strikeout performance – for Vandebilt, the Tigers found their backs against the wall, a situation more dire after Bourgeois retired the first two batters for Hahnville.
“He was sharp,” said Hahnville head coach Jared Vial. “He threw 82 to 86, really good breaking ball, good slider. We battled all game.”
But Brayden Fontenot gave his team life, socking a double to left field. Kaleb Guarisco was hit by a pitch, and that brought Koa Romero to the plate. As he often does, the Tiger slugger delivered, blasting a double off the wall that plated both runners to tie the game.
Landen Teague, on in relief of HHS starting pitcher Avyn Whitney, pitched a scoreless top half of the eighth. Hahnville’s Jaxon Hanks and Bennett Naquin got on to lead off the eighth. After a fielder’s choice, Naquin stole third base with Kaleb Ducote up to bat – an error after that gave Naquin all he needed to get home for the winning run.
“We knew with Bennett’s speed, if we can get him to steal there and get a throw, it could work in our favor, and that’s what happened. It was a good win for us against a tough team – especially against (Bourgeois) who was sharp all day.”
Hahnville led 2-0 before Vandebilt scored four runs in the sixth.
Fontenot went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored. Guarisco went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Landen Teague hit a solo home run.
Whitney went five innings, sllowing two earned runs on four hits and a walk. He struck out seven. Teague earned the win in an inning of scoreless relief. Austin Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four.
Vial said with a team as proficient offensively as Vandebilt, there was a choice to be made as to who would get the ball on the mound.
“You either have to beat them with breaking stuff or you’ve got to have velocity,” said Vial. “So we went with Avyn – with his changeup-slider mix, we have a chance to keep them off balance. He did a really good job and gave us a shot.”
Bourgeois went 6.2 innings for the Terriers, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks to go with his 10 strikeouts. Jonas Bergeron took the loss for VCHS.
It was a different type of game a day later.
Hahnville led 6-0 after 1.5 innings, then allowed eight runs in the bottom of the second to fall behind 8-6. But the Tigers proceeded to score 5, 4 and 5 runs over the next three innings respectively to take full control.
“It was a bad day to be a baseball in Houma,” said Vial.
Indeed, those took a beating from the hitters in this game. Naquin, Eli Landry and Guarisco each homered. Teague doubled twice and Romero once. Brayden Fontenot stole two bases and scored four runs. Guarisco went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Teague was 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Hanks was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Landry went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Luke Heiden was 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Bourgeois led the Vandy bats with a 3-for-5, two runs scored and three RBI day. He doubled and tripled, Thomas LeCompte went 3-for-4.
The Tigers tied the game 8-8 on a two-run Naquin homer. Guarisco drew a based loaded walk to force home the go-ahead run. Teague’s two-run double made it 11-8. HHS never looked back from there.
Teague started on the mound for Hahnville, but on a day with a tight strike zone, it created some stormy waters for he, Vandy starter Christian Tabor and the Tiger and Terrier staffs as a whole to navigate.
“We felt Landen got squeezed a little bit in the second inning … we couldn’t get to some of the corners and had to leave it over the plate. And Vandebilt, they’ve got dudes that can swing it. We knew early on in that game that our offense had to carry us,” Vial said.
It’s what the Tigers did – while showing plenty of resiliency. The number of teams that win a game after allowing an eight-run inning does not make up a high percentage.
“We got humbled a bit with that eight-spot,” said Vial. “I use the roller-coaster analogy – the higher you go up, it becomes a far way down. We have a team here that fights for all seven innings. I preach to the guys, don’t get too high, don’t get too low. And it’s been good for us.”
Before the Vandebilt series, the Tigers put together another strong performance in a 16-3 win over visiting St. Augustine in Boutte.
Landry and Luke Eusea each homered. Teague went 4-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Matt Plaisance earned the win, pitching four innings and allowing one earned run on three hits and five walks. He struck out three.
