BENTON, La. — It was as close to a storybook ending you could have asked for last week for Ruston High.
Back in the playoffs after missing last season, the Bearcats were tied in extra innings Saturday with Hahnville in game two of a best-of-three series for the chance to advance to the second round of the 2025 LHSAA baseball playoffs.
And in the top of the eighth inning, Ruston got its first out-of-the-park home run of the season — and by sophomore John Parker Moak, no less, who was seriously injured in an on-field collision earlier in the month.
“What a moment for our team,” Ruston High head coach Bryan Beck said. “There was a time when we didn’t know if he’d be available for the playoff series. He’s an incredible competitor, and we knew he wanted to get back and play. He practiced as soon as he was (medically) released last week, and he practiced really hard.
“He told me he felt like he was seeing the ball really well — and we had not given him any live at-bat reps out of precaution. It just says so much about J.P. wanting to get to the plate with the game on the line. We’re really proud of him.”
The win marks the first postseason win for Ruston in three years and the first postseason three-game series win in nearly a decade.
And now, No. 12 Ruston (25-11) will travel westward to take on the No. 5 Benton Tigers (31-3) tonight at 7 p.m. — a team that earned a first-round bye in the playoffs but has not played a game in nearly two weeks.
For Beck, the message to the team is to stick to the plan that’s worked all season long: grind hard in practice and play hard and fast on the field. And he believes the tough schedule Ruston played during the regular season has sure helped, too.
All of this has prepared his team for a hopeful run in the playoffs — not just being satisfied with an opening series win.
“I think you’re seeing good habits develop for the kids,” Beck said. “It’s not just “Let’s just hope we’re ready and just be in the game.” This is part of the standard of our baseball program now. We’ve had another good week of practice, and overall, I’ve been really happy with how focused and relaxed they are getting their work in. I don’t think anybody’s going over to Benton thinking they’re just happy to be here. We know they’re a good team, and we want to go there and win the series.”
Senior David Griep will get the start tonight for the Bearcats on the mound, while the following game starters are to be determined. For Beck, it’s all about getting the win tonight and then figuring out what’s next.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes to get the win (in game one),” Beck said. “We’ll see what happens after that.”
Game two is set for Saturday, April 26, at 1 p.m. Should there need to be a game three, it will follow shortly afterward.
The series will be streamed on BearcatNationNetwork.com and the BNN YouTube Channel. The audio broadcast of Nick Brown and Toby Nations will be on Q94.1 FM.
