Chase Marcotte strolled to the plate in a tie game with the bases loaded, looking to make his mark on the Battle on the River rivalry.
Did he ever.
The Destrehan sophomore blasted a grand slam home run that put his team up 7-3, spurring the Wildcats onto a 10-3 rivalry victory over the Tigers.
It was DHS’ eighth consecutive win and it snapped Hahnville’s streak of four wins in a row over Destrehan in the rivalry. It also secured a tie atop the District 8-5A standings to end the season between the Wildcats and Tigers, who each finished with one loss in 8-5A play.
“We had nothing to lose. They beat us the past few years,” Marcotte said. “We have a team motto – it’s called ‘bunch of nobodies.’ We live by it. Nothing to lose.”
He wanted to be up in that big spot, and he said his teammates gave him the chance to make an impact.
“If it wasn’t for our guys getting on base and giving me the opportunity, it wouldn’t have happened. I came up in a big spot and made it happen,” Marcotte said. “It’s unbelieveable. I couldn’t have dreamed of this moment … definitely awesome.”
The rematch, which will not count for the district standings but could very much loom large in power points and seeding – as well as in local bragging rights – is set for Thursday at Destrehan, first pitch set for 4 p.m.
Marcotte finished 2-for-5 with 5 RBIs and a run scored on the day.
Marcotte supplied the power; collectively, the Wildcats (21-12) flashed plenty of speed. Destrehan stole eight bases on the day, with Spencer Srubar, Will Muller and Payton Stubbs leading the way with two each. Benjamin LaPlace and Frank Harding III each added a steal to the total.
“We’re an aggressive team – we’ve got to be. If you’re not, you’re playing scared and that’s not how you want to play baseball,” Marcotte said.
Destrehan head coach Chris Mire said he felt the Wildcats were playing a bit “stressed out” early on as they fell behind the Tigers 3-1.
“This game is important to our guys. I felt like Will Muller, whose been on fire for us, a senior who’s been having a great last couple weeks. He has a great at bat. Larry Rodrigue does what he’s been doing, getting on base, and Chase Mire got a big base knock for us and sets up (Marcotte), who’s probably been our best player all year.”
Marcotte was 0-2 leading into that at-bat.
“I think he was trying to do a little too much early in the game. Just told him to take a deep breath, you know we’re built for this … he went out and put a big swing on it. Our offense tries to set things up for he and Payton Stubbs, and it worked out perfectly for us today in that spot. He did what he always does and came through for us,” Chris Mire said.
Freshman Josh Muller came on in relief of Stubbs, who started the game but departed after Hahnville (17-11) scored three runs in the second inning. Muller held the Tigers from there on, striking out six, walking three and allowing two hits over 5.2 shutout innings.
“Another young guy who is very calm and collected, especially for a freshman,” Chris Mire said. “He’s built for this. He’s a guy that we trust because we know exactly what we’re going to get.”
Mire added the freshman hurler was originally scheduled to start Thursday’s game, but that it was understood he’d be called upon Tuesday if it could mean a win there, with district honors on the line.
“We also knew if there was a chance to win this game, he needed to be a part of it … he did what he does, filling up the strike zone and letting the defense play behind him – not pitching like a freshman. He’s been great for us all season.”
Will Muller went 2-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs for Destrehan. Srubar and Chase Mire also drove in runs.
For the Tigers, Kaleb Guarisco went 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the way offensively. Jacob Heiden took the loss on the mound.
Hahnville head coach Jared Vial was 4-0 against Destrehan prior to Tuesday.
“It’s how you handle the magnitude of this game,” said Vial. “I think today, of our starting nine, four played (against Destrehan) last year. Until you’re in it and you feel it, you have to figure out how to navigate it. The roller coaster of emotion … it was felt by the dugout, and the fans and even our guys on the field, everything went down after the grand slam. At the end of the day, we didn’t play our best baseball. And so on Thursday, we show up and try to play Hahnville-brand baseball.”
As to what needs to change for Hahnville to earn a measure of payback Thursday, Vial said much will come down to handling those emotional up and downs.
“Don’t ride the roller coaster,” he said. “As far as bouncing back, I’m confident our guys who need to step up are going to step up.”
Hahnville took the lead in the second inning on a Landen Teague RBI single that scored Brayden Fontenot.
Destrehan tied things up on a hard ball hit by Srubar that Hahnville misplayed for an error – Bennett McNamara scored, and the Wildcats kept the momentum going on a Will Muller RBI single that scored Stubbs and Jack Conravey.
The Tigers fired back in the bottom of the second, making the Wildcats pay for a pair of walks when Kaleb Guarisco singled home Kaiden Bran to make it 3-2. The game was tied on a passed ball that allowed Fontenot to race home and score.
That’s where the score sat until the top of the fourth inning, where with one out Will Muller, Larry Rodrigue and Chase Mire socked three consecutive singles to load the bases.
That brought up Marcotte, who brought the Destrehan dugout and fans to elation on his go-ahead grand slam.
After a midseason slump, Destrehan is playing its best baseball of the season – with Monday and Tuesday representing wins over teams who have been a thorn in the Wildcats’ side for the past few seasons. Chris Mire noted last week that Destrehan had not been able to come away with a win at South Lafourche in awhile, while Hahnville was riding a four-game win streak over Destrehan.
Within approximately 24 hours, the Wildcats felled both.
“We were losing most of (the South Lafourche) game, and found a way to come back and get a win in a place we knew was going to be tough,” Mire said. “To show up today (against Hahnville) and have the kind of effort we had – that’s where we want to be at this time of the year. We have guys who have been put in tough situations, we’re seeing how guys respond, and I feel like guys are starting to embrace that and respond the right way.”
Marcotte delivered on the mound in the 9-4 win against South Lafourche, going six shutout innings in relief and striking out eight.
Will Muller went 3-for-4 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in two RBIs. Conravey went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Stubbs drove in two runs.
The Destrehan offense has been on fire during this win streak, scoring at least eight runs in seven of the eight wins. Since its senior day victory last week over East St. John, Destrehan has also defeated Terrebonne and Iowa.
“I think we’re playing well and finally starting to find it as a team,” Marcotte said. “Guys are getting hot. We’re executing.”
Hahnville entered Tuesday’s game off of three consecutive wins over Thibodaux, Terrebonne and Central Lafourche.
The latter of those, a 13-2 win on the road, saw Matthew Plaisance earn the win on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits through seven innings. He struck out five and walked none.
Teague led offensively, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Koa Romero was also 3-for-3 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Fontenot scored twice and drove in a run. Bennett Naquin and Luke Eusea each drove in two runs.
