Competing until the end

For a sophomore, Pine Prairie starting pitcher Evan Ardoin gave his team everything they could possibly need and more.
The young ace certainly did his part, striking out 12 batters and keeping No. 18 Kaplan off-balance all night in the first round of the Class 3A baseball playoffs.
However, a fielding mishap provided the difference for the Pirates as they skidded by the No. 15-seed Panthers 3-1 Monday night.
In the top of the seventh, Kaplan’s Peyton Ford hit a ball into the area Pine Prairie head coach Dylan Manuel called “the triangle” between shortstop, leftfield and centerfield.
That fielding mishap, scored a hit, put the winning run on base for Kaplan and a double plated Ford and a second run to give the Pirates an advantage Pine Prairie (18-12) couldn’t overcome in the bottom of the frame.
“I was disappointed in the miscommunication that led to the winning runs,” Manuel said. “But, it’s one of those games you can’t get mad at. Our guys left it all out there and played their best.”
The fault certainly couldn’t be put on Ardoin, who Manuel calls his “young ace”. After missing two weeks at the beginning of the season due to close contact with COVID-19, Ardoin really began to find his stride as the season wore on.
It showed Monday night. His 12 strikeouts were more than enough to keep Pine Prairie in the game.
“He got stronger every start,” Manuel said. “He changes speeds well and got comfortable with the breaking ball. For him to get the changeup that quickly it was good for us.
“He’s still fine-tuning his two-strike pitching. The go-ahead hit was supposed to be a pitch out. I’m excited with how fast he catches on and adds to his arsenal.”
Ardoin was locked into a pitcher’s duel with Ford, who struck out seven batters himself.
“His stuff is good enough to stay in the strike zone all game,” Manuel said. “He did a good job of changing eye-levels. He started with a slider around the third or fourth inning. He just kept us off-balance and he’s a great competitor.”