By: RHETT MANUEL
Sports Editor
VILLE PLATTE – The Sacred Heart Lady Trojans have been up-and-down all season.
When they’ve been at their best, they’ve been an offensive machine capable of cranking out 10 runs per game. When they’ve been down, it’s because their bats have let them down.
In Tuesday’s District 6-1A game against Opelousas Catholic, the Lady Trojans actually out-hit their opponent. But a rough first inning and five fielding errors doomed Sacred Heart to a 9-5 loss to open its district slate.
Opelousas Catholic put its best offensive display of the game up in the opening inning. A five-run outburst provided what ultimately proved to be the difference between the two teams with the Lady Trojans out-scoring O.C. by a 5-4 margin the remainder of the game.
Still, that early spurt where Opelousas Catholic got to Sacred Heart starter Jolie Vidrine seemed relentless.
A lead-off walk and double set the stage for O.C.’s three-hole hitter Ashley Little, who cranked 1-1 Vidrine pitch over the left field wall to give the Vikings an instant 3-0 lead.
Vidrine struggled in the early going, letting the first five batters of the game on before a sacrifice bunt finally got Sacred Heart’s first out, but extended the Viking lead to 4-0.
An error extended the lead to 5-0 before Vidrine got a punch out and a line out to shortstop Ava Johnson to limit the bleeding.
After the rough opening inning, Vidrine never fully hit her stride in the circle. She persevered, though, going the distance and giving up only seven hits and striking out eight batters.
Control was an issue. She surrendered five walks and nine runs overall, six of them earned.
Sacred Heart was able to scratch across runs in the second and third frames. A Jacelyn Pitre single scored Taylor Darbonne to cut the lead to 5-1 in the second and Jodie Landry scored on an error in the third to cut the margin to 7-2 after Opelousas Catholic plated a pair of runs in the third.
Madison Gussman hit a solo bomb in the fourth to extend O.C.’s lead to 8-2 and the Vikings added a single run in the sixth inning.
Sacred Heart, however, didn’t go quietly.
Rose Ardoin and Pitre started the inning with back-to-back doubles, with Pitre’s scoring Ardoin to cut the lead to 9-3. Vidrine added a double to move Pitre to third before Landry singled her in to make it 9-4.
Catherine Larson singled on the next play to plate Vidrine and make it 9-5. However, the rally ended when Landry was thrown out at home and Ava Guillory popped out to end the frame.
Pitre, Vidrine and Darbonne each collected multiple hits for the Lady Trojans. Pitre led the way, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Each of Darbonne’s two hits were for extra bases, with Vidrine adding a double as well.
June 19, 2026
