Staff writer
Exceptional win streaks expanded for the Ruston and Choudrant baseball teams in lopsided district triumphs Thursday, which was a tough day for the diamond squads from Cedar Creek.
The Lady Cougars’ softball season ended in Gonzales with an 8-3 state quarterfinal loss, while the Cougars were victims of a walk-off extra-inning loss to Loyola in Shreveport, where the Flyers rallied from four down to prevail 5-4.
RUSTON BASEBALL: Dyson Fields’ arm kept Ouachita off the board Thursday, and his bat closed out the Lions.
Fields tossed a three-hit complete game. His sixth-inning RBI double ended a 10-0 run-rule victory as the Bearcats’ bats did much more than necessary to complete another District 2-5A sweep.
It was the 12th in a row for Ruston, which hasn’t lost since March 26 at West Monroe.
Fields struck out five for Ruston (24-8, 8-2), which won 4-1 an evening earlier in Monroe. But on Senior Night at the Ruston Sports Complex, the Bearcats scored nine runs in the first four innings, a stretch highlighted by a four-run bottom of the fourth.
Dalton Herbert went 3-for-3 to lead an 11-hit Ruston attack. Jack Whitaker and J.R. Tollett each added a pair.
After Herbert doubled, Haydn Shoemaker clubbed a two-run triple in the fourth and rolled home on a two-bagger by Whitaker, who later scored on a passed ball.
CEDAR CREEK SOFTBALL: An inning after sixth-seeded Cedar Creek tied its Division IV quarterfinal contest at No. 3 Ascension Christian, the home team pushed back. Decisively.
The Lady Cougars used a three-run top of the fourth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit, then blanked the Lady Lions in their next at bat. But in the bottom of the fifth, ACHS broke loose with a four-run outburst and went on to an 8-3 victory.
Cedar Creek, finishing 17-11, was outhit 13-5, but hung tough until the home team’s big inning. Trailing 3-0 after Ascension Catholic’s two-run third, the Lady Cougars roared to life opening the fourth.
Sarah Adams lined a single to left and Lizzie McAdams followed suit, with Adams scampering to third. She raced in on a sacrifice fly by Chloe Brashear.
A two-out error got another runner on base in front of Eli Dickerson, who drilled a two-run triple to right field, tying the game.
But in the bottom of the fifth, the Lady Lions got a single and a couple of walks to light the fire. A two-run single by Michelle Juban put the hosts on top for good, and they pushed in another pair to expand their advantage to 7-3.
Creek got only one baserunner to second afterward, unable to mount another rally.
CEDAR CREEK BASEBALL: The Cougars (12-15) blanked Loyola through five innings, and rode a four-run fourth inning to the brink of a quality road win. But the Flyers countered with a four spot in the bottom of the sixth, then won on Noble Means’ double with one down in the eighth.
Four walks put Cedar Creek on the board to open the fourth, then a balk made it 2-0. Ladd Thompson singled in another run and Jack Mitcham’s fielders’ choice raised the lead to 4-0.
Loyola knotted it on a two-run single and two passed balls. Both teams went 1-2-3 in the seventh, and the Cougars did so again in the top of the eighth. With one out, consecutive doubles ended the contest.
CHOUDRANT-SIMSBORO BASEBALL: The Aggies completed their District 2-B championship season unbeaten, to nobody’s surprise, with another run-rule victory over Simsboro, 14-0.
Choudrant (28-3) extended its school-record winning streak to 25 straight.
Bryce McGuire and Luke Tassin combined on a five-inning one-hit shutout.
A seven-run second inning blew it open. Landon Hennen, Braden Jones, Brandon Carter, Eli Watson and McGuire all contributed RBIs in the eruption.
Hunter Stevens had the only hit, a leadoff single in the second, for Simsboro (3-22), which lost 12-0 Wednesday at Quitman and 17-1 Monday at home to the Aggies.
