After taking down Pearl River earlier in the week, #6 seeded North Vermilion took on #1 Lutcher in the state championship. The Bulldogs took the early lead and held on late to defeat the Patriots 4-0 to become the 2024 Division II champs.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
North Vermilion was the away team in this matchup and Brody Lambeck began the game with a single into center field and advanced to second after Quinn Smith’s pitch hit Jansen Deangelo. Colton Jeansonne was also hit and loaded the bases but Smith struck out Sam Galland and Hunter Denais to get out of the first inning jam.
The Bulldogs put up the game’s first runs at the bottom of the opening frame. Caleb Hastings hit a single into right field, but his courtesy runner Ethan Detillier got out on a fielder’s choice, allowing Marshall Louque to reach first. With two outs, Luke Babin singled, and Louque advanced to third. Then, Colin Roques hit a ground ball and reached on an error by third base. Louque and Babin scored on the play to give Lutcher the 2-0 after one inning.
Smith came back and struck out Blaze Duhon and Colt Lejeune before Lambeck hit a ground out to send it to the middle of the second.
Bryson Keller hit a single at the bottom of the frame and advanced to third on a ground ball throwing error but a groundout by Hastings and pop out from Louque kept the score the same.
After a scoreless third inning, Lutcher built on their lead in the fourth. North Vermilion starting pitcher Duhon struck out Keller and Smith but Louque hit a single and Hastings walked. Detillier became a base runner again, and then an error by Lambeck in the outfield allowed Louque and Detillier to score and put the Bulldogs up by four.
Neither team could generate any runs in the fifth or sixth inning and it came down to the seventh for the Patriots. Duhon, Lejeune, and Devin Blanchard made contact but all grounded out, and Lutcher secured the 4-0 win over North Vermilion to become 2024 Division II state champs.
BIG NUMBER: 2
Two big fielding errors by the North Vermilion defense in the first and fourth innings led to all four of Lutcher’s runs.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Quinn Smith
Smith kept the Patriots offense in check all game long as he was on the mound for all seven innings, struck out eight batters while only allowing three hits, and walked two as the Bulldogs came out on top 4-0.