VILLE PLATTE – It was a “Flat Town” showdown as the Sacred Heart Trojans hosted the Ville Platte Bulldogs in a non-district cross town baseball contest Monday afternoon.
With bragging rights in the city on the line, Sacred Heart’s Cannon Beaver proved to be a difference maker as he threw a complete game no-hitter in the Trojan’s 11-0 blanking of Ville Platte.
With the win, the Trojans improves to 15-12-1 on the season. Ville Platte falls to 2-15 on the year with the loss.
After giving up a one out walk, Beaver and the Sacred Heart defense shut down the Bulldog momentum in the top of the first. The Trojans then went to work at the plate, picking up three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Lead-off batter Wesley Launey reached first when he was hit by a pitch and then moved all the way to third on two wild pitches. JT Harper drilled a ball to deep center field that was caught but allowed Launey to tag up and score the first run of the game.
With one out, Garrett Fontenot singled and stole second base. Christian Duplechin followed with a double to right-center field, scoring Fontenot. A double off of the bat of Drew Bordelon plated Duplechin for the third run of the inning. From there the Ville Platte defense held tight, ending the at bat for the Trojans.
Beaver struck out the side in the top of the second inning, opening the door for another run by the Trojan offense in the bottom of the second. That run came on a one out solo home run from Harper, giving Sacred Heart a 4-0 lead.
The Bulldogs were unable to secure a runner in the top of the third, as Beaver struck out one Ville Platte batter and induced a fly ball and ground ball. The Trojans added to their lead with three more runs in the bottom of the inning.
Cade Manuel walked to lead off the at bat and reached third on an error by the Bulldog defense that also allowed Beaver to reach second base. With runners on second and third, Nick Perry hit a hard shot that could not be handled by Ville Platte, scoring Manuel and Beaver and allowing Perry to take second base. Perry moved over to third base on a stolen base. A ground ball out by Alec Gotro at first base, gave Perry the chance to reach home plate and pushed the Trojan lead to 7-0.
Another scoreless half inning by Ville Platte in the top of the fourth gave Sacred Heart a chance to pick up more runs in the bottom of the inning. This time the Trojans did just what they needed to insure a run-rule win, scoring four additional runs.
Manuel, hitting for the second time in as many innings, reached first on an error and moved to second when Beaver was hit by a pitch. A fly ball out was followed by a double off of the bat of Gotro that was deep enough to, plate Manuel and Beaver. Gotro reached home on an error after a thrown down to first base on a dropped third strike with Launey at the plate.
After a strike out, Alex McElwee, batting for Fontenot, doubled into deep center field, pushing Launey all the way home, thus giving Sacred Heart an 11-0 lead and, for all intents and purposes, ending the game. All that was left was to send the Bulldogs up and down in order in the top of the fifth to notch another win in the Trojan win column.
Beaver threw five complete innings, giving up zero runs on no hits and walked only one. McElwee went 2 for 2 at the plate with a double and an RBI to lead Sacred Heart at the plate.
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TRACEY JAGNEAUX Sports Editor