NV shortstop Colt Lejeune makes one of his seven put outs in the semifinal game.
North Vermilion first baseman Blaze Duhon gets ready to tag out a Pearl River player.
Right fielder Colton Jeansonne catches one of his two outs that he made on Wednesday.
Stingy defense helps North Vermilion reach finals
SULPHUR – The No. 6 North Vermilion Patriots used a stingy defense to defeat the No. 10 Pearl River Rebels 6-1 in the Division II Non-Select semifinals Wednesday night at McMurry Park.
While pitcher Isaac Russell dominated on the mound, only four of the 21 outs recorded were by strikeout. That means he pitched to contact, trusting his defense to work behind him.
Shortstop Colt Lejeune led the effort with seven putouts.
“We’re just trying to back up our pitcher as best we can,” Lejeune said. “We know he will give us his best shot to win the game. We’re just trying to pick up our pitcher on defense and offense.”
In the fourth inning, Lejeune had three consecutive pitches hit hard and right at him. He caught the first one. The second one took a bad hop and caught him on the wrist. He managed to field the third one clean, but his throw sailed.
Even when things don’t go as planned, the Patriots rely on each other to pick up the slack and get the job done.
“I didn’t get down on myself,” Lejeune said. “I knew my teammates had me, and Isaac had me on the mound. I just had to keep my head up and keep pushing.”
Following the miscues, Russell struck out the next batter for the second out. He then induced a pop-up to Devin Blanchard at second base to escape the inning unscathed.
Russell helped himself by recording six outs, four via strikeout and two by fielding his position. Blanchard recorded four outs at second, while Jansen Deangelo and Colton Jeansonne each caught two fly balls in the outfield.
Lejeune also contributed on offense. His single to left in the third drove in two runs to give the Patriots a commanding 5-0 lead. Jeansonne, Blanchard, and Hunter Denais each had an RBI, while Deangelo, Cody Breaux, and Blaze Duhon each had a hit.
The Patriots (23-13) play No.1 Lutcher on Saturday at 2 o’clock. The Bulldogs defeated No.12 Iowa 5-0 in their semifinal matchup. Whatever the result in the final, NV skipper Jeremy Trahan is proud of his squad.
“This is their opportunity, and they’re trying to seize it,” Trahan said. “No matter what happens on Saturday, these guys are winners.”