By Malcolm Butler
Tuesday afternoon’s Cedar Creek vs. Ouachita Christian second round playoff softball game was par for the course when these two schools meet in, well, any sport.
There is no love lost when the District 2-1A rivals meet on the court, field, track or whatever venue.
And Tuesday on the diamond was no different.
Peyton Muse drove in five runs, Mallory Smith recorded four hits and the Lady Cougars overcame an Allie Furr injury and a Chloe Brashear ejection to defeat OCS 12-7 at the Lady Cougars Softball Complex.
With the victory, Cedar Creek advances to face No. 5 seed Opelousas Catholic — a 9-0 winner over St. Edmund.
From the very first pitch of the game — a solo home run by OCS’s Ava West — to the final out of the game recorded when an OCS base-runner left first base early, Tuesday night’s game was filled with plenty of emotion and controversy.
Following West’s lead-off home run off Creek starter Chloe Brasher, the Lady Cougars responded in the bottom of the first inning. LA Tech signee Allie Furr tripled to deep centerfield and then scored on a two-run home run by Muse over the centerfield wall, her first of the season.
“I think we were prepared,” said Riser. “We talked about their pitchers, and what we needed to look for and keeping our approach. First pitch, they hit one out. I knew (West) could hit, but we were trying to get ahead of her and get her out. It went over. But we responded well. We were on time and really squared some balls up. We hit really well today.”
Muse was one of those hitters that squared plenty of balls up on Tuesday. The Creek catcher was 3-for-5 with a two-run home run in the first, an RBI single in the second and a two-run double in the third inning.
“She is just a leader, and she is determined,” said Riser about Muse. “All of our seniors are determined. They work in practice. They are just ultra-focused. She had a really good day. She has been squaring balls up, but they haven’t always been hits. They got through and over today.”
UL-Lafayette signee Lillian Soto followed with a double and then after back-to-back HBPs, Smith singled through the left side of the infield to drive home two more runs as the Cougars took a 4-1 lead.
“All week we have been working on our approach,” said Muse. “We have been dialing in on that. She hit the home run, but we knew we had them. We knew we were going to get a jump on them. It’s pass the bat to the next batter. We have kept that up all season. My approach doesn’t change. We were so ready. We were ready for them. For me it’s the same approach every time. Just keep it calm.”
With Creek leading 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning, Smith tripled to score Brashear to make the score 6-1. Furr then followed with a ground ball and was thrown out at first base. On the play she went down after stepping awkwardly following some contact on the play.
She would not return to the game.
“We had a big lead so I felt comfortable that we were going to win the game so it made sense to sit Allie,” said Riser. “I was comfortable with who we put in even with it being an eighth grader. I think because we have so many seniors that were able to pick it up and help (the younger players).
“Allie is so ultra-focused. Even when she was hurt and we were seeing about her over at first base, she asked while she was laying on the ground, ‘Did the run score?’ That’s what she was focused on. She is just determined to win.”
The Lady Cougars continued to plate runs in the bottom of the third inning. Muse’s two-run double was followed by an RBI single by Soto and a two-run home run by Lizzie McAdams as the advantage ballooned to 11-1.
Creek had a chance to end the game in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and second and one out for OCS, a line drive was misplayed by the Lady Cougars second baseman that would have been a game-ending double play. However, two runs would instead score in the frame, extending the game.
Later in the same frame with runners on second and third and one out, a line drive was caught by Brashear at third base, who then tagged the OCS baserunner for what appeared to be the final out. However, after both teams cleared the field to their respective dugouts to get ready for the start of the bottom of the fifth inning, the two umpires convened and the call was overturned.
Brashear was ejected for what Riser said was called a “forceful tag”.
“I know it looked bad, but a big part of it was the girl was off-balance trying to get back to the bag,” said Riser. “It looked like she just knocked her over, but it was a tag on an off-balance runner.
“The (third base) umpire said, ‘I didn’t say out. I ejected her.’ I never saw that call. Why would OCS run off the field if he hadn’t called her out.”
Following the contest, Riser was concerned about Brashear’s eligibility for the next playoff game. However, according to the LHSAA handbook, Brashear should be available.
5.11.6 Player Ejected from a Contest in a Sport for Unsportsmanlike or Flagrant conduct: (First Offense) – states that the player shall receive an official warning and must complete the NFHS Learn Sportsmanship Course within three days of the ejection. If said player completes this, they will be eligible to compete in the following contest.
Despite losing its second senior starter of the game due to the ejection, Muse said the team stayed confident.
“It was sad to see two senior starters out of the game, but we have prepped everyone to the T just in case something like this happens,” said Muse. “Anything can happen in the playoffs. There hasn’t been a situation we haven’t faced this season so we were ready for anything.”
Leading 11-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Creek added a run on a throwing error by OCS. It appeared as if the Lady Cougars had scored a second run which would have ended the game via the 10-run rule, but the runner was called out at home on a play at the plate. Riser requested an overturn of the out call, but following an umpires conference, the out call was upheld.
OCS refused to go down quietly in the top of the seventh inning. McAdams retired the first batter of the frame, but then back-to-back infield errors followed by a three-run home run pulled the Eagles to within 12-6. OCS added another run on a double and an RBI single, but the final out was registered when a Eagles base runner left first base early on a pitch.
Riser said because of the weather forecast for Friday, she believes the playoff game at home against Opelousas Catholic would most likely be Saturday.
