Erath baseball team makes history with victory

ERATH – The No. 2 Erath Bobcats defeated the No. 7 Jena Giants 10-0 and 9-0 Saturday at Ross Granger Field to sweep the quarterfinal playoff series and advance to the semifinals for the first time in school history.
The Bobcats (23-11) will face No. 3 South Beauregard (24-10) in the semifinal round at Ross Granger Field. The Knights defeated Berwick in their quarterfinal matchup. The winner advances to the championship series at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
Erath beat South Beauregard 4-2 earlier in the year.
Erath head coach Jeremy Picard isn’t surprised this senior class is the one that got over the hump after four previous attempts. A prime example of what makes them different is their determination to get Ross Granger Field ready to go on Saturday morning after all the rain Friday night.
“I came back when these guys were freshmen and we’ve had one goal,” Picard said. “Those seniors just don’t give up. They’re a special group and that’s why we are where we are today.
“I came here at about 6:45 this morning and said there’s no way we can play here. They looked at me and said we’re playing here. They took it upon themselves to do all the little things to get the field ready. That’s what it takes.”
Seth Leger got the start in game one, and once again he delivered. The senior ace pitched his second complete-game shutout of the playoffs, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out six.
The Bobcats broke the scoreless tie in the third inning. Leger got hit by a pitch with two outs to start the rally. Brennan Broussard followed with a double to leftfield that scored Tate Collins. Jack Landry then singled to left to score Koah Copell to make it 2-0.
Erath struck again in the fifth two singles and a fielder’s choice put runners on first and third with one out for Broussard. He sent a single to left that scored Landon LeMaire and Tate Collins. Four batters later, Dominic Frederick drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 5-0.
The Bobcats added five more in the sixth to end the game. Three hit by pitches and an error plated the first run. Landen Derouen followed with a double to centerfield that cleared the bases for three more runs. Four batters later, LeMaire drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-0.
Broussard and Derouen led Erath at the dish with two hits and three RBI apiece. Landry had two hits and two RBI while LeMaire had one hit and one RBI. Frederick had two walks and an RBI while Richard and Carter Champagne each had a hit.
For game two, Erath sent Talan Landry to the mound. The junior righthander delivered a Leger-like performance, tossing a complete-game shutout. He allowed only two hits and no walks while striking out four.
“Talan is our number three starter,” Picard said. “He had a very good outing against Notre Dame. We made the decision Friday night to go with him and he was phenomenal.”
The Bobcats broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning. Jack Landry sent a one-out single to right before Derouen tripled to centerfield, scoring Landry to make it 1-0.
Erath added four more in the fifth. Talan Landry scored the first run of the inning on an error. Richard then scored on a passed ball before Derouen drove in two more with a double to centerfield to make it 5-0.
Richard provided the fireworks in the sixth when he drove in two runs with an inside-the-park homerun. The rare feat made it 7-0.
“Off the bat, I was thinking double,” Richard said. “But when I saw the centerfielder dive, I knew I was going for it. I looked up at coach, and he was waving me home. I’d rather have just hit it out to save some energy, but it means a lot to me.”
In the seventh, Champagne laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored Collins and Derouen scored on a passed ball after collecting his fourth hit of the game to provide the final margin.
Derouen finished four-for-four at the plate with three RBI. In the two-game series, he had six hits and six RBI. He said the ball was huge.
“I was seeing it like a beachball today.” Derouen said. “I was in the box not thinking about anything other than seeing the ball and hitting it.”
Richard finished with two hits and two RBI while Champagne had a hit and an RBI. Talan Landry added two hits while Jack Landry had one.
While the Bobcats have already made history, Broussard said the semifinals are not their goal. They will not let up until they achieve their goal.
“It’s started now, and it’s not going to stop until we get to the championship,” Broussard said. “Today was just another step on the way. We did a great job coming out fired up. We hit the ball, played defense, and morale was very high. You can’t beat that.”
Game one is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday. Game two is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday. Game three, if necessary, will commence at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.