Heading into the final stretch of the Louisiana prep baseball season, Pope John Paul II had been playing its best baseball. That run ended Wednesday night, and the good news is there’s still time to regroup.
The team’s nine-game winning streak was halted by French Settlement in an 8-6 defeat in the District 9-2A championship game, in which the Jaguars committed three errors and a made multiple other misplays.
Their problems also were compounded by the fact senior ace Caden Amie made it only through three innings and had to leave due to arm discomfort. On the other side, the Lions’ Trevor McMorris pitched a complete game for the win, despite coming into Wednesday’s game with an ERA over 6.
“It was a playoff atmosphere, and this is one of the best districts in the state,” said McMorris, who allowed six earned runs but struck out six and needed just 94 pitches in going the distance. He also hit an RBI double in the first inning.
“This is going to help us in the long run, because (Amie) is one of the best pitchers around. I feel like we are prepared for the rest of the season and the playoffs.”
There were multiple factors that left PJP II coach Brian Babin unhappy with the team’s first loss since March 12 and first loss at home in six weeks. Between not knowing about Amie’s arm trouble and the misplays, Wednesday night clearly was one big mess.
“I went out there and talked to (Amie) in the first inning, and he told me he was fine,” Babin said. “Come to find out he really wasn’t and that hurt a little bit. Then they go out and put up crooked numbers in the (third and sixth innings), and that hurt tremendously. …
“We forget how to play defense. … We didn’t make plays, we weren’t in the right positions for pour play calls, we didn’t execute our play calls. When all those things happen, it’s a recipe for disaster.”
Something clearly wasn’t right with Amie from the jump. After nearly each pitch, he would walk around the back of the mound for 5 or 10 seconds, especially with men on base.
Although he struck out the side in the first, in between Ks, he allowed two hits, including McMorris’ double. And after laboring through 73 pitches, Babin removed him following the third inning with the score tied at 3.
A mess opened in the sixth inning, as French Settlement (14-13) took an 8-4 lead on a botched fielder’s choice, a double steal of second and home and a second error in the inning that plated two more runs.
“We talk about peaking at the right time, and that’s what we’re doing,” said Coach Kade Scivicque of his Lions, who despite being just one game above .500 are in the top 10 of the Division III Non-Select power ratings and should host a first-round playoff game.
Meanwhile, Pope (22-9) will try to right the ship after a week off – not playing again until a home game against Episcopal on April 8 in a game to be broadcast on VSN and two nights later in the home finale against Southern Lab on April 10. They also are scheduled to play at Destrehan in the regular-season finale on April 11.
They are battling with five teams all within 1.04 points of one another for second place in the Division III Select Power ratings. A No. 2 seed not only would mean a bye in the first round of the playoffs, but also would allow that team to play at home throughout the postseason until a potential state title game in Sulphur.
“Do you want to win a district championship? Absolutely. But what you’re trying to do in the end is to get in the playoffs and see if you can make a run there,” Babin said. “We had a great run of nine wins in a row, and it’s a shame we ended it. It may mean we aren’t home for the semifinals and maybe the quarterfinals, but we have been in that situation before.”
What happens next on the field obviously is important, but there now are questions surrounding Amie’s health. And for that, it’s a good thing the team is off for a week until after Easter, because Babin just doesn’t have any answers at the moment.
“When I took that mound visit in the first, I asked (Amie), ‘Are you alright?’ ” he said. “I am concerned. He said, ‘I’m good; I’m fine,’ and after the second inning, I said, ‘I don’t think he’s good – go down there and get (reliever Marcel Evans) ready.’
“I told (Amie) I needed him to be honest with me, and he said, ‘I feel tightness up in there,’ and we went to see the trainer. We’ll see.”
LINESCORE
French Settlement – 102 104 0 – 8 | 7 | 0
Pope John Paul II – 300 102 0 – 6 | 7 | 3
TOP HITTERS
French Settlement (15-14): Trevor McMorris, 1-3, 2B, 2R, RBI; Remy Cramer, 1-3, R, RBI; Cooper Bullion, 1-3, 2B, BB, 2R, SB.
Pope John Paul II (22-9): Trey Dieudonné, 2-3, 2R, RBI; Caden Amie, 1-3, RBI; Brody Couture, 1-2, RBI, SAC; Everett Gibbs, 1-1, R, RBI, SB.
DECIDING PITCHERS
WIN: McMorris, 7IP, 6R, 6ER, 7H, 1BB, 6K.
LOSS: Marcel Evans, 2+IP, 4R, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 1K. (Starter: Caden Amie, 3IP, 3R, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 5K.)
WP: Amie 2. IBB: None. Pitches-strikes: Amie 73-47; Evans 35-22; Brady DeHarde 32-20; McMorris 94-61. Weather: 79, cloudy. Time of game: 2:13.