Vandebilt Catholic softball dominates Cabrini in run-rule LHSAA playoff victory
Vandebilt Catholic has been one of the best teams in Louisiana high school softball history, and on Wednesday afternoon, the second-seeded Lady Terriers began their quest for a 15th state title against 15-seed Cabrini in the Division II select LHSAA playoffs.
Both pitchers dominated the early innings. CHS was shut out entirely, while VCHS managed two runs. But in the fourth, the Lady Terriers finally woke up.
Eight runs came across in the bottom of the fourth, punctuated by a three-run home run to straightaway center field by sophomore Lauren Baudoin. The inning not only put the game out of reach, but also trigged the LHSAA run rule as Vandebilt Catholic (27-5) routed Cabrini (8-12) in five innings, 10-0.
Heads-up baserunning sparks massive rally
With the score 2-0 through three innings, the Lady Terriers needed every baserunner — and every base — they could get. In the bottom of the fourth, sophomore Emmy Rau made the play that sparked the VCHS bats. After drawing a walk, Rau saw the Crescents did not have an infielder covering the bag at the open second base. She made a quick turn from first and slid in safely under the tag.
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That free base paid off for the Lady Terriers, who ended up batting around in addition to driving in eight runs. Rau not only came around to score, she also legged out an infield single to give herself an RBI in the same inning.
Talbot dazzles in the circle
Senior pitcher Corin Talbot managed to keep the Crescents in check on Wednesday, throwing four scoreless innings and striking out nine batters after getting the start. While Talbot didn't go the full distance — Baudoin came on in the fifth — she didn't allow a Crescent runner to advance past second base.
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They said it
"We started off a little slow, I think. It was a week and a half since we last played," said Lady Terriers head coach Jeremy Duplantis on his team's offense. "But in the fourth inning, the bats got going. We hit a home run. We hit some other balls really hard. We really started hitting like we can."
What's next
Vandebilt Catholic will host either No. 7 Teurlings Catholic or No. 10 Bunkie in the quarterfinals.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Vandebilt Catholic softball run-rules Cabrini in LHSAA playoff victory
