LPJ Sports Report
Bearcats rally late, edge Loyola behind Lee’s big night
SHREVEPORT — The Ruston Bearcats erased a four-run deficit and pushed across the go-ahead run in the sixth inning to claim an 8-7 comeback victory over Loyola College Prep on Monday.
Ruston (15-8) trailed 7-3 before mounting its rally, finally taking its first lead of the night when Nolan Parnell delivered an RBI single in the sixth to break a 7-7 tie.
“Man, it was a tough one… down 7-3 in the ballgame, and our kids just battled their tails off,” Ruston head coach Bryan Beck said. “I just challenged them in the fifth inning to keep grinding and keep fighting for each other, and that’s exactly what they did.”
Loyola struck first in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Cole Pryor, but Ruston answered in the third when senior captain Jackson Lee blasted a solo home run to right field — the first of his high school career — to even the score at 1-1.
The Flyers responded with a four-run third inning to build a 5-1 advantage, highlighted by a two-run groundout from Caden Pryor, an RBI double by Jake Black and a run scoring on an error.
Ruston chipped away in the fifth, tying the game at 7-7 behind RBI contributions from Kenden Freeman, Aiden Adams and Dalen Powell before setting up Parnell’s go-ahead hit an inning later.
“We didn’t lead that game until the seventh inning… you’re down the whole game, really,” Beck said. “They just battled back and battled back.”
Lee played a pivotal role in the comeback, contributing both at the plate and on the mound. In addition to his home run, he collected two hits and earned the win in relief, tossing 3 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
“Man, Jackson Lee, our senior captain — what can you say about him?” Beck said. “He hits his first home run of the season, first of his career, hits a triple, and then comes in and gives us scoreless innings on the mound and gets the win. That’s what we’ve got to have down the stretch.”
Ruston finished with 10 hits, with Parnell, Powell and Lee each recording two. Powell drove in two runs, including a key late hit that helped fuel the rally.
Beck also highlighted the contributions of younger players, including sophomore Aiden Adams, who recorded his first hit of the season, and Powell, who delivered in a key moment.
“Really exciting to see our sophomores continue to contribute for us,” Beck said. “We want to keep getting those guys opportunities, and this was a big step for them.”
Loyola was led by Pryor, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while both teams were aggressive on the bases — Loyola swiped five bags and Ruston added four steals.
For Beck, the significance of the win extended beyond the final score.
“It’s a really big win for us to get on the bus and go over there on a Monday and play a 5 o’clock game against a really good opponent,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how tough our kids are.”
Ruston returns home Thursday to open a district series against ASH on Ruston Junior High recognition night.
Simsboro erupts for 18-run first inning in rout of Downsville
SIMSBORO — Simsboro put the game away before Downsville could settle in Monday, sending 22 batters to the plate in an 18-run first inning and rolling to an 18-0 victory.
The Tigers scored all 18 runs in the opening frame, taking advantage of timely hitting and patient at-bats. Chris Harrell started the outburst with an RBI walk, Braylon Gipson followed with an RBI single and Trevor Cook and David Cedotal each drew bases-loaded walks.
Kaid Barmore added a two-run single, Levi Adkins followed with another two-run single and Harrell later cleared the bases with a two-run triple as Simsboro kept the line moving. Gipson capped the inning with a two-run double as the Tigers built a commanding lead.
Cedotal handled the rest on the mound. He threw three hitless innings, struck out seven and walked three to earn the win.
Simsboro finished with nine hits and 11 walks. Gipson and Barmore each had two hits and drove in three runs. Stevens drew two walks, and the Tigers backed Cedotal with an error-free defensive effort. Stevens led the way in the field with seven chances.
Choudrant claims win over Simsboro in Lincoln Parish Matchup
By T. Scott Boatright
Baseball is a game of momentum-building moments, as Choudrant High School proved Tuesday night on Tony Antley Field.
The Aggies broke open a tie game with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before pitcher Braden Bagwell held off Simsboro in the top of the seventh inning to earn a 5-2 complete game over the Tigers.
Choudrant’s big moment came when left fielder Rhett James led off the bottom half of the fourth with an extra base hit he stretched into a triple with a headfirst slide into third base.
But the Tigers and pitcher Noah Thomas followed by trying to build a little momentum of their own as Thomas struck out the next two Aggie batters and gave Simsboro a chance to escape the jam with the game still tied.
But Choudrant then loaded the bases as Braden Bagwell walked before Cam Bagwell reached first on what would have been a strikeout, but the catcher dropped the ball and Cam Bagwell beat the throw to first.
Then another big moment happened for the Aggies as Gavin Hall slapped a ball into short right field. The Simsboro right fielder tried to make a spectacular diving catch for the ball but didn’t come up with it as James and both Bagwells all crossed home plate to put Choudrant on top by three runs at 5-2.
“You hit a popup down the right field line that just lands in a perfect spot,” said Tigers coach Scott Hiers. “Gavin generally, from what I’ve seen and I know of him, is just a straight up pull hitter. And for him to hit one there, where we’re playing in the gap a little bit,
“The ball was just out of reach. We’re in a tie game without that. It’s just one of those things. It’s just baseball.”
Simsboro had one final chance in the top of the seventh inning, and when Levin Adkins reached first on a walk, it seemed like the Tigers might get the chance to find a momentum-building moment of their own.
But the next SHS hit a fielder’s choice ball with Choudrant shortstop Cam Bagwell fired the ball to second base to put Adkins out before doing the same thing again as fourth Tiger came to bat to put a notch in Choudrant’s win column
Simsboro fell to 15-6 with the loss.
“We still feel good about the season and should pick up a couple of wins on Thursday and Friday that should help with our (power) point totals,” Hiers said. “You just can’t just win every ballgame. I guess LSU-Shreveport proved that wrong last year, but that’s not normal. That’s the exception.
“All you can do is give yourself a chance to win. And we gave ourselves a chance to win tonight but it just didn’t happen. Noah pitched well. I thought we really hit the ball pretty well. They just made some amazing defensive plays. It may be odd for the opposing coach to say he’s proud of the other team, but I kept saying, ‘Wow, that was a great play!’
“My kids are disappointed, but they’ll get over it — in about 30 minutes.”
Thomas struck out six Aggies while giving up eight hits on the night.
Simsboro’s two runs came in the top of the first and third innings while the Aggies plated one run in each bottom half of those innings.
Choudrant had to play the game without head coach Joel Antley, who was suspended for one game after appearing to record a big win at Quitman Friday night.
But what looked like a win became a loss after it was determined that the Choudrant pitcher had violated the pitching-count rule by four pitches within a specific time period, with the Aggies ending up with a loss and Antley receiving a one-game suspension.
“They put a whooping on us a couple of weeks ago and beat us 10-0 over at their place,” said Aggies assistant coach Steve Wooley. “So, this was about us getting back to the way we play baseball. Our kids were ready to play. Braden Bagwell, man, what a performance on the mound (giving up only five hits). I don’t know what his stats are, but he had a heckuva game to hold them to two runs.
“And Gavin Hall at third base was phenomenal. I don’t know how many plays he ate up playing over there, but he played lights out over there. He was fantastic.
“Rhett James hitting in the seven hole ends up hitting a single, a double and a triple. That was a phenomenal performance by him. We made a few baserunning mistakes but the kids ran aggressively and got us into position to score. And Gavin’s popup to right field ended up scoring three runs, and that was the difference in the ballgame.”
Choudrant, now 9-11, is next scheduled to play at Downsville on Tuesday while Simsboro will play host to Castor on Thursday.
Cedar Creek Rebounds From Tough Loss With Explosive Win Over Jonesboro-Hodge
Cedar Creek (15-2) experienced both ends of the spectrum this week, bouncing back from a lopsided loss with an emphatic offensive outburst less than 24 hours later.
The Cougars fell 10-0 to Ouachita Christian on Tuesday, undone by a decisive seven-run fourth inning. Ouachita Christian set the tone early with a solo home run in the first and gradually built a 3-0 lead before breaking the game open in the fourth. Cedar Creek managed just three hits in the contest, with Connor Yates, Ryan Coleman and Jax Doiron each recording one. Noah Smith took the loss on the mound, allowing seven runs (one earned) over 3⅓ innings.
Cedar Creek didn’t wait long to respond.
On Wednesday, the Cougars erupted for 26 runs in a dominant win over Jonesboro-Hodge, highlighted by a historic first inning. Cedar Creek sent wave after wave to the plate, scoring 20 runs in the opening frame behind a mix of patience and power.
Kade Luker led the charge with five RBIs on three hits, including a bases-clearing triple and a two-run double in the first inning alone. The Cougars drew 15 walks as a team and were hit by multiple pitches, consistently applying pressure throughout the lineup.
Carter Nichols, Ryan Coleman, Noah Smith and others contributed to the offensive surge as Cedar Creek added six more runs in the second inning to cap the rout.
On the mound, Coleman started and combined with Drew Wade to keep Jonesboro-Hodge hitless in the shortened contest.
The split result showcased Cedar Creek’s resilience—shaking off a difficult loss with one of its most explosive performances of the season. The Cougars return to action Thursday against Haynesville.
