North Vermilion Patriots earn return trip to Class 4A title game

SULPHUR — Brandt Fontenot made North DeSoto pay for its pitching and fielding struggles, going 3-for-4 with a double, five RBIs and two runs scored Thursday afternoon as North Vermilion advanced to its second straight Class 4A baseball championship game with a 14-2, five-inning mercy rule win at McMurry Park.
The Patriots (39-2) fell behind 1-0 in the first inning but answered with five runs in the first and four in the second to lead 9-1, then blew up for another five runs in the bottom of the fourth to put it out of reach.
“The kids came out on fire,” NVHS coach Jeremy Trahan said. “I’m proud of them.”
Top-seeded North Vermilion faces No. 15 South Terrebonne, a 4-0 winner over No. 6 Lakeshore, in the finals. It will be a rematch of North Vermilion’s thrilling 11-10, eight-inning semifinal win from 2021. First pitch for Saturday’s championship game is set for 2 p.m.
On Thursday, three Griffins pitchers surrendered nine walks and hit three batters with pitches, and North DeSoto also committed three errors to give the Patriots plenty of offensive opportunities.
Trahan, meanwhile, went with playoff experience on the mound by starting southpaw John Touchet, the 2021 4A MVP and 4A finals MVP. Touchet, who was injured before the season and pitched a limited number of innings this year, and showed rust early in allowing a run on a hit, two walks and a hit batter in the first. Touchet earned the win, allowing two runs on two hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.
Cole Veronie pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit and one walk.
North Vermilion, meanwhile, had six hits to go with all the walks, hit batsmen and errors. Cooper David drove in two runs on two bases-loaded walks and Tyson LeBlanc had a hit and an RBI and Touchet and Blake Lastrapes also singled.
Braxton Savant walked, drove in a run and scored two times for NV. Dylan Naquin walked twice and scored two runs, Lane Patin had a walk and scored twice, Camden Breaux had an RBI and a run, and Landon Duhon and Sam Galland scored two runs each.
“I’m happy with the way it turned out,” Trahan said. “We have a veteran team.”
North DeSoto finished the year 33-6.