It was clear Newman was not going allow any chance of falling from the 2 seed in Division III Select to the 3 in the virtual hands of any stupid computer.
Against a Division I opponent that will be playing a home playoff series this weekend, the Greenies were focused and resilient in a 5-2 win at Mandeville on Monday (April 13). It was their 13th consecutive win and 17th in their past 18 games, as they clinched the No. 2 seed by finishing a full point ahead of Calvary Baptist in the power ratings.
When the brackets are announced Tuesday, the Greenies (22-6) will have a bye in the first round and – if the power ratings listed on the LHSAA web site Monday night are correct – they will face the (15) Northlake Christian vs. (18) Houma Christian winner in a three-game series beginning either April 23 or April 24 at Avenger Field.
On Monday, Newman played the role of one of the metro area’s top teams to perfection, while sending ace Christian Sauska to the hill one last time in the regular-season finale.
As he has in previous outings, he was a little shaky in the first inning, but the Skippers didn’t have much of a chance after that. There simply was way too much on the line.
“We didn’t know if it was going to affect our seeding, but you go out with the same mentality. That is a really good team, and they battled at the plate,” said Sauska, whose only loss this season came to Erath on March 7, which also happens to be the last time Newman lost any game. “I am really happy to make it five innings and to go scoreless.
“I was grateful to have another chance to throw in the regular season now that we are going to have a week and a half off (following a first-round bye). The last outing wasn’t great (four runs in four innings vs. St. Martin’s last week), but to bounce back against this kind of an opponent helps boost the confidence a lot.”
It was clear early on the Greenies were going to have to win this one like many of the others against really good teams: with solid pitching and defense.
They scored their first run in the second after George Loop was hit by a pitch, Benjamin Singer walked, Tanner Robert also was plunked and Jack Falgoust hit a sacrifice fly. In the top of the fifth, Loop was hit again – this time with the bases loaded – and the Greenies led 2-0 with just one infield hit that Mandeville coach Brady Benoit thought was an error.
“It was an interesting night. They had a couple of guys on the mound that gave us some trouble, but we had some good ABs, and I wore two to knock in two tonight,” said Loop, who was hit a third time in the seventh with the bases loaded to give Newman the lead for good. “It wasn’t exactly how we wrote it up, but it worked out.”
In all, Mandeville (23-8) allowed 14 free passes – nine walks and five hit batters – along with two errors. They were able to tie the score at 2 in the bottom of the sixth on a solo home run by Creshaun McCollum that snuck over the other side of the left-centerfield wall and an RBI single by Greyson Parker.
“To put it nicely, I thought we were terrible offensively, we were terrible defensively, and we were terrible on the mound,” Benoit said. “When you let 14 guys on (free passes), against a good team like that, you’re not going to win.”
The Greenies came right back in the top of the seventh against reliever Jackson Amorajabi as Atticus LaFleur walked, Villere reached on an error and Malcolm Schairer laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases with no one out. After Loop got hit to make it 3-2, another error and a walk provided a three-run cushion.
“I missed the first (bunt), and Coach (Pat Adams) gave me the sign again, and I said, ‘I gotta get it down,’ ” Schairer said. “This is amazing. The team has really come together. You do everything for the team; the team is always first. We just need to do whatever we can to keep rolling.”
Collier Villere, who was a bit shaky in relief of Sauska in the sixth, slammed the door shut in the seventh, inducing a ground out before whiffing the final two batters.
The Greenies came into this game percentage points ahead of Calvary for the 2 seed. The difference between 2 and 3 could prove huge later on, because if the brackets go true to seed, Newman would host the Cavaliers in the semifinals instead of having to travel to Shreveport.
In other words, any playoff game Newman is a part of before a potential state championship series would be played at Avenger Field.
“We have learned that we’re good enough to come back after a bad inning,” Adams said of the three-run seventh. “I told them when it was 2-2, it could have been 4-2. We could have let it get away really easily. …
“It was really important to be at home (in the playoffs). Avenger is a little bit different kind of place to play, and it gives us a bit of an advantage. And it’s nice to stay home and not have to travel three or four hours if we get that far.”
LINESCORE
Newman – 010 010 3 – 5 | 2 | 0
Mandeville – 000 002 0 – 2 | 5 | 2
TOP HITTERS
Newman (22-6): Malcolm Schairer, 1-3, R, BB, SB; George Loop, 0-1, 3HP, 2RBIs, R, SB; Jack Falgoust, 0-3, BB, SF, RBI.
Mandeville (23-8): Creshaun McCollum, 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Peyton Gomez, 2-3, BB; Greyson Parker, 1-4, RBI.
DECIDING PITCHERS
WIN: Collier Villere (3-1), 2IP, 2R, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 2K. (Starter: Christian Sauska, 5IP, 0R, 3H, 3BB, 8K)
LOSS: Jackson Amorajabi, 0+IP, 3R, 1ER, 1H, 1BB, 0K.
WP: Greyson Parker, Gavin Richmond 4. IBB: None. Pitches-strikes: Parker 26-14; Richmond 61-29; Gray Boudreaux 6-3; Lachlan Wildt 9-3; Luke Landry 13-10; Amorajabi 15-8; Sam Marse 26-16; Sauska 93-52; Villere 31-16. Weather at first pitch: 78, clear. Time of game: 2:41.