Vandebilt, Houma Christian advance to softball quarterfinals

Pack the sunscreen and sunflower seeds and fill up the bus with diesel.

The Vandebilt Catholic softball team is going back to Sulphur to try and win another state title.

The No. 4-seeded Lady Terriers moved one step closer to defending its 2010 Class 4A State Championship Thursday when they escaped an upset bid from No. 20 DeRidder and scored a 3-2 road win.

The victory takes Vandebilt to the Fastpitch 56 Tournament where they will take on No. 5 West Ouachita in the quarterfinals.

“I think making it back to Sulphur is huge,” Vandebilt softball coach Margaret Johnson told the Beauregard Daily News following the win. “That was one of our goals. I think taking this team to Sulphur is going to be a great experience.”

To get back in the quarterfinals, Vandebilt had to survive a pesky challenge from a home-standing underdog that Johnson said was one in seed, but not ability.

“We do our homework and they had two close games against (Class 4A No. 1 seed) Sam Houston,” Johnson said. “We knew that they were not a No. 20 seed.”

To prove Johnson’s sentiments right, DeRidder took an early first-inning 1-0 lead on a triple by Tara Woods.

The Lady Terriers took the opening blow in stride and fought back with single runs in the third and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead.

But arguably the team’s biggest run came in the seventh inning when Kelsey Melancon found a hole in right field that plated Makelle Pena to give the team a 3-1 lead.

“It was huge,” Johnson said of the insurance run. “I just call it one of the breaks from heaven. We didn’t let up.”

That added cushion was needed, as the Lady Dragons mounted a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning that scored one run and placed the tying runner on second base, following a line drive to left field by DeRidder slugger Jade-Renee Zaunbrecher.

But in the face of pressure, Lady Terriers pitcher Leah Bergeron never buckled, getting the next batter to ground out to seal her complete game victory and return trip to Sulphur.

In total, the pitcher allowed just one earned run, four hits and struck out 12 batters. Bergeron also helped herself at the plate, cranking a ball into the gap for the team’s fifth-inning run.

With the win, Vandebilt will now take on No. 5 West Ouachita in the quarterfinals Friday at 2 p.m. on Field #13 at the complex.

West Ouachita earned their way to Sulphur with an 11-5 opening round win against Morgan City and a 6-0 second round triumph of Leesville.

Vandebilt hasn’t played its future opponent yet this season, but Johnson knows it will be a challenge to make it to the Semifinals.

But she feels it’s a challenge her team will face while playing with house money.

The coach said that with the bulk of last season’s state title team lost to graduation, no one believes this year’s group of Lady Terriers can win it all.

That’s a situation Johnson said she doesn’t mind being in.

“We have no monkey on our back with no pressure this year. We are ranked No. 4 and not expected to win,” Johnson said. “All that is expected of us is to go represent Vandebilt Catholic as best as we can and that’s what we are going to try to do.”

Houma Christian wins, also punches ticket to Sulphur

Vandebilt Catholic did it with pitching and defense.

But Houma Christian used their bats to get to Sulphur, in a big way.

The No. 14-seeded Lady Warriors also punched their ticket to the quarterfinals, scoring a 7-3 road upset against No. 3 Simpson.

Lindsay Crowdus, Emily Albares, Hannah Carlos and Christen Broggi all recorded multiple hits for the Lady Warriors, who overwhelmed their higher-seeded opponent with a dominant offensive display.

But it wasn’t all offense for Houma Christian against Simpson.

Crowdus also pitched a complete game in the circle, striking out six, while scattering seven hits and allowing just three runs.

With the win, the Lady Warriors will take on No. 22 Avoyelles Charter in the quarterfinals. That game will take place Friday at 4 p.m. on Field #19.

The victory marks the third time in four seasons that the Lady Warriors advance to the quarterfinals.

Vandebilt pitcher Leah Bergeron fires a pitch during a game this season. Bergeron was a force in the circle and at the plate in the Lady Terriers’ second round playoff win, which pushed the team back to Sulphur. FILE PHOTO