The Eunice High Bobcats scored eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to defeat the Church Point High Bears by a 14-4 mercy-rule victory in District 5-3A baseball action Tuesday night at Bobcat Field.
Eunice travels to Port Barre for a 4 p.m. district clash today.
The Bobcats took a 1-0 lead in the first inning against the Bears when Cade Richard singled, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Austin Phillips, and scored on a single by Gunner Fontenot.
The Bears responded in the top of the second inning after Zach Ray walked, Ronnie Meche doubled, and Drake Carreon singled against Fontenot, the starting pitcher for the Cats.
The Bobcats scored five runs in the third inning to chase Bears’ starting pitcher Wes Higginbotham. Fontenot and Christian Taylor drew walks to open the inning.
With one out, Jonas Granger and Tyler Darbonne each singled before Josh Youngblood ripped a triple to drive in three runs.
Jaydon Brasseaux drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to build the Eunice lead to 6-2.
The Bears scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the lead to 6-4, but the Cats would bat around in the bottom of the fifth inning to score five runs.
Granger started the inning with his second single of the game and added a third single to drive in two runs.
Phillips and Taylor each drove in two runs during the inning, while Richard, Fontenot, and Brasseaux had singles.
Youngblood doubled in the inning and Darbonne drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly.
Fontenot earned the mound win for the Bobcats.
He worked four-and-two-thirds innings, scattering six hits and recording four strikeouts.
Ian George retired the only batter he faced in the top of the fifth after relieving Fontenot.
Leading hitters for the Bears were Ronnie Meche with two doubles and a single and Austin Manuel with a double and a single.
EHS 7, DeRidder 4
The Eunice High Bobcats used a seven-run second inning to take the early lead, then held off a late threat to defeat the DeRidder High Dragons 7-4 in a non-district baseball game played at Bobcat Field.
Neither team posed a threat in the first inning, but the Dragons threatened in the second inning as Parker Taylor singled and Lane Neely was hit by a pitch.
A sacrifice bunt advanced both runners but a line drive hit by Collin Kibler was grabbed by Bobcat second baseman Phillips, who turned it into a double play to end the inning.
With one out in the bottom of the inning, the Bobcat offense began to click.
Granger singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch.
Darbonne singled to put runners at the corners and Youngblood singled in a run.
George delivered a two-run double to put the Cats ahead 3-0.
Cade Richard reached on an error, scoring George.
Phillips continued the inning with a single to score Richard and chase starting pitcher Gage Johnson.
Phillips later scored on a passed ball.
Reliever Gavin Hebert got the second out of the inning, but walked Christian Taylor, who advanced to second and scored on a single by Zac Guillory.
Hebert recorded the final out of the inning but the Bobcats still held a 7-0 lead.
Eunice starting pitcher Brasseaux retired the Dragons in order in the third inning, but DeRidder pushed a run across in the fourth inning thanks to run-scoring single by Parker Taylor.
The Dragons kept the pressure on Brasseaux in the fifth inning, with singles by Johnson and Cameron LeJeune and a home run by Taylor.
Brasseaux would hold it together, however, shutting out the Dragons over the final two innings to seal the victory.
Brasseaux, now 4-2 on the mound, scattered eight hits, struck out three, and did issue a walk.