Wildcats rolling in district play behind hot hitting lineup

Destrehan is off to a strong 5-1 start in District 7-5A, bouncing back from a loss to rival Hahnville with three district victories in a row.

One of those came in convincing fashion last Thursday as Destrehan captured an 11-0 victory over host East St. John behind a complete performance.

Carla Beck pitched a one-hitter and shutout as she earned the victory. She struck out nine and walked one.

“Carla’s been solid for three years,” Destrehan coach Kenny Montz said. “When she was a freshman, she had to pitch a playoff game for us in her first start ever when Krista was dealing with an injury. She did a great job … she’s not rattled easily.

“Last year she had 10 or 11 starts for us and she’s done the job pretty much every time. In this one, she dominated from start to finish. Their one hit was an infield pop-up on a bunt that found a hole.”

Gia Zeringue went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Julie Scheuermann went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Both players doubled twice. Sarah Boquet went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored and Lainnie Dugas went 1-for-4 with three RBIs.

Destrehan scored 10 of their 11 runs over the fourth and fifth innings, plating five in each frame.

Montz said his team began the game a little sluggish offensively, but after a trip through the lineup his players began to get a feel for the pitches they were seeing.

“At that point, we did what we needed to do,” he said.

Zeringue and Scheuermann have both been swinging hot bats as of late for Destrehan, which has won three of its past five games. The two have combined for eight doubles over that stretch.

“Gia’s really coming into her own,” Montz said. “We didn’t get her until after (Zeringue finished basketball season), so she missed the first five weeks of practice or so. She’s continuing to get better and better and she’s really stepping up.”

“Julie is heating up lately, too. We’ve moved her up to the four spot in our lineup. She hit a couple of balls right on the screws the other day. She’s another one we expect to keep ascending and getting better.”

Destrehan hosted Ursuline Saturday afternoon and lost in a tightly contested contest, 2-1.

Zeringue and Robles each collected two hits, and Destrehan outhit Ursuline 7 to 3 on the game. But Ursuline scored a run in each of the first and third innings, and pitcher Olivia Brown controlled things the rest of the way to earn the win on the mound.

A Breanna Dominguez single scored Robles with two outs to make it 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, but Brown recorded a strikeout to end the threat.

“We just couldn’t get that big hit when we needed it,” Montz said. “The wind was blowing in about 35 miles per hour.

“We hit a few balls that could have gone out the park (on a normal day) and we hit a few others right at people. (Brown), to her credit, got outs when they needed them. Krista threw it well for us, but it was just their day.”

Brown allowed no earned runs on seven hits, striking out five and walking one.

For DHS, Robles went the complete game, allowing two earned runs on three hits. She struck out four and walked four.

The Wildcats moved to 5-1 in District 7-5A play with a decisive 7-3 road victory over Central Lafourche Monday.

Taylor Lucich and Julie Scheuermann each went 2-for-3 with a run scored,  Sarah Boquet went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Destrehan and Krista Robles went 1-for-3 with two RBIs to lead Destrehan. Robles and Boquet each hit home runs, while Scheuermann doubled twice.

Robles earned the complete game victory, allowing one earned run on five hits. She struck out 10 and walked one.

Destrehan (9-7) remains one game back of 7-5A leader Hahnville, which accounts for the Wildcats’ lone district loss.

“We’re off to a good start in district,” Montz said. “We’re trying to keep pace. I know it’s a cliché, but for us, we really look at this one game at a time. We’ve lost a couple of tournaments due to rain, so we’ve got plenty of games upcoming. We’re backed up a little and we’ve got a lot of softball left to play.”

Montz said the Wildcats have taken a few tough losses so far and looks at it as a learning experience.

“We’ve lost a few this year where we needed to make one more play or have a ball bounce our way,” Montz said. “If it happens, 8-7 maybe even becomes 11-4.

“But sometimes it’s a cruel game. Hopefully we learn a few lessons and the softball gods begin to smile on us.”

 

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