Bears claim title over Bobcats

CHURCH POINT – The Church Point High Bears celebrated the opening of their new baseball facility Wednesday with a 7-1 victory over the Eunice High Bobcats.
The victory clinched the District 5-3A championship for the Bears, who finished with a 9-1 record in district play.
The Bobcats fell to 7-2 in district play, with one district game remaining on Tuesday when they host Port Barre.
“Church Point just played better than we did today”, said Bobcat head coach Scott Phillips. The Bobcats defeated Church Point in Eunice by a 14-4 margin earlier this season, but the Bobcats loss to Pine Prairie in their first district game came back to cost them a chance at the title.
The Bobcats wasted a scoring opportunity in the top of the first. With one out, Austin Phillips and Gunner Fontenot had singles against Bears’ starting pitcher Austin Manuel, but Manuel induced a ground ball off the bat of Jonas Granger which was turned into a double play to end the inning.
Church Point would take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a double by Wesley Higgenbottam, a single by Manuel, and a wild pitch from Eunice starting pitcher Jaydon Brasseaux.
The Bears added two more runs in the second inning, highlighted by a run-scoring double by Breelyn Jones.
The Bobcats scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 3-1. Josh Youngblood singled and courtesy runner Brady Smith advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Ian George. Smith scored when Fontenot grounded into a fielders’ choice. The Cats loaded the bases in the inning, but were unable to push across another run.
The Bears answered the Cats in the bottom of the third on a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a run-scoring single by Bailey Bergeron. The Bears would not score again until the bottom of the sixth when they scored three runs.
The Cats struggle with runners on base, stranding nine runners for the game, including two in the sixth and two in the seventh innings. .
Manuel earned the mound win with five innings of work. He scattered six hits, walked three, and struck out one. Brasseaux (6-3) worked three innings, allowing four runs before being relieved by Ian George. George pitched two hitless innings, but walked three, two of which later scored. Ganger relieved George in the sixth inning.
Austin Phillips led the Bobcat offense with two singles. Fontenot, Youngblood, Tyler Darbonne, and Christian Taylor had singles for the Cats.
Higgenbottam had two doubles to lead the Bears on offense. Jones had a double and a single, while Bergeron and Zach Roy had two singles apiece.