by Malcolm Butler
Brett Bell drove in Eli Slocum with the go-ahead run on an infield hit in the top of the seventh inning as the No. 17 seeded Cedar Creek Cougars defeated the No. 16 seeded Hanson Memorial Tigers 5-4 in the first round of the Select School Division IV playoffs.
Creek (16-18) trailed 3-0 after three and 4-2 after five innings before plating two runs in the sixth and the eventual game-winner in the seventh to give the Cougars their first playoff win since 2019.
“Heading into the to of the seventh, we came off the field and I said ‘Here we go boys,'” said head coach Chad Yates. “‘This is our game. This is what we are built for.’ (Trent) Franklin got on and made a good read on a ball in the dirt to get to second. We put in Eli Slocum to pinch run to give us a little more speed.
“Brett Bell got his second hit of the game on a ball up the middle. They tried to make a play on it on a throw to first base, and I was waving Eli around third the entire way. It would have taken a phenomenal play at first to get Brett and they weren’t able to make it. And Eli was able to score the go-ahead run.”
Kade Luker and Max Brister combined to allow just four runs — only one earned — on three hits in the road victory. Brister picked up the win and sealed the game by working a perfect bottom of the seventh inning, including a pair of strikeouts.
“It was one of those hot, humid days,” said Yates. “Luker went out and pitched well. He got into a bind in the third on his own accord … he threw the ball away and that gave them a little adrenaline. He battled though. He had a pick off at first base that he threw away too. But he battled and we came out of that inning just down 3-0.”
Cedar Creek loaded the bases in the top of the fourth inning and plated its first run when Noah Durrett was hit by a pitch, forcing home Blake Wade to make it 3-1. Brett Bell then followed with a single to center field plating Franklin and cutting the deficit to 3-2.
“In the top of the fourth we were able to finally get to (Ethan) Judice, the (Louisiana) Tech commit,” said Yates. “We knew he had an electric arm. He can be a little erratic at times. He was good enough to hold us at bay, but then lost some control and we got some runs back. It got us back into the game right there.”
After the Tigers added a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly RBI, Cedar Creek responded in the top of the sixth to tie the game. However, it wouldn’t have been possible without the effort on the mound according to Yates.
“Luker continued to compete and he got us to where we could pass it off to Brister,” said Yates. “And he came in lights out. His slider was very effective. He really had there guys mixed up. He gave us a chance to win.”
Jackson Mock singled with one out in the sixth and then scored on Ladd Thompson’s double to centerfield. After a ground out that moved Thompson to third, Creek tied the game at 4-4 when Thompson scored on a passed ball.
Creek recorded eight hits in the game and also capitalized on six walks. The Cougars chased the Hanson Memorial ace in the fourth inning as Judice allowed two runs on two hits and four walks while striking out seven.
“We knew we would probably see Judice,” said Yates. “We had a game plan for him. We just wanted to compete at the plate and make him throw strikes. These guys know who they are. They are not going to quit. We found ourselves right in there. We got a big hit from Thompson. He is an excellent baseball player. He made a good ball in the dirt read and scored the tying run.”
Brister allowed one base runner in the bottom of the sixth but struck out a pair of Tigers hitters to put a zero on the scoreboard.
After Creek took the 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh, Brister retired three straight batters in the seventh to seal the win. Brister allowed just two hits in 2.2 innings while striking out four.
“Brister came in and shut the door in the seventh,” said Yates. “He didn’t give those guys a chance. I just can’t say enough about our guys. I am so proud of them.”
Cedar Creek will travel to face No. 1 seed Opelousas Catholic. Game date and time are yet to be determined.
