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The No. 1-ranked Vandebilt Catholic softball team found itself in somewhat unfamiliar territory during Thursday afternoon’s second round playoff matchup with No. 16 Ursuline Academy.
They trailed 2-0 through two innings of play.
But once the dust settled, the Lady Terriers overcame their jitters, found a rhythm and pushed ahead.
Now, completely familiar territory awaits – Sulphur, Louisiana.
Thanks to a mix of clutch hitting and dominant pitching, the Lady Terriers survived their early deficit and scored a thrilling 4-2 win.
The victory moves the powerhouse program back to the home of the state quarterfinals-finals, where they hope to win their fourth state championship since 2006.
“If anybody didn’t come out and witness this game, they missed a really, really good one,” Vandebilt coach Margaret Johnson said. “When they went up 2-0, we could have held our heads down and just gave up. But we didn’t. We fought back slowly, but surely and I’m just so proud of the fact that we didn’t hang our heads, we played seven innings and we just gave it our all.”
Vandebilt knew coming into Thursday afternoon’s tilt that they’d have their hands full.
“They were really good,” Vandebilt senior Sarah Ourso added. “They were very ready to play and they had a lot of good hitters.”
“Ursuline’s not the No. 16 team in the state,” Johnson added. “We projected them more to be a Top 7-10 team. … And they proved that right today.”
The way they earned that respect was with a dominant start that pushed the Terriers against their heels.
After a scoreless first inning, the Lions ripped the first two pitches of the top of the second inning – one for a base hit, the other for a two-run home run – to take a 2-0 lead.
That power surge sapped the life from the Vandebilt crowd and also caused Johnson to become fiery in the team’s huddle in between the second and third innings.
“This is where one’s character shows through,” Johnson emphatically told the Terriers. “This is where we find out what we’re made of.”
A pair of unlikely heroes took note of the coach’s comments and helped ignite Vandebilt’s fire.
Bottom of the order hitters and freshmen Kaitlyn Dardar and Kylie Dufrene stroked back-to-back doubles in the third inning to shrink the lead to 2-1.
Their rally inspired both teammates and Johnson and set Vandebilt off in the right direction for the first time in the contest.
“For two freshman to go out there and start it off, I can see how that would fire anybody up,” Johnson said. “Heck, I was fired up. Just to see that they were relaxed, swung the bat with authority and waited on their pitch.”
“That definitely fired me up,” Vandebilt senior pitcher Leah Bergeron added. “That just shows you that it doesn’t matter how old you are on this team – everyone knows how to play the game. … Them stepping up show us that it wasn’t over – that we still had enough to come back and win the game.”
With momentum on their side, Vandebilt struck for another run in the fourth to tie the game. They took control in the fifth and plated two runners to earn a 4-2 advantage.
Once in the lead, Bergeron ended most of the night’s drama, dominating the Lions’ offense in the late stages of the game.
Take away the rough second inning and the Terriers’ ace was near flawless, pitching a complete game, while striking out 11 hitters.
“Pitchers, out of anyone on the field, have to be the strongest mentally,” Johnson said. “And Leah’s a tough kid. She could have let that one inning get in her head. … But I think it’s her ability to lead and her ability to be strong and tough that allows her to move past that.
With the win, the Terriers will now move to the quarterfinals where they will take on the winner of Teurlings Catholic and Grant.
Johnson said the game will be a challenge, adding she’s proud of her youthful, inexperienced roster for reaching their season-long goal.
“I know returning there is something they set as a goal for themselves,” Johnson said. “Now we’re going to try and go and give it our best shot.
Bergeron and Ourso agreed, but added a little math to the equation.
The Lady Terriers have won the state championship in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
These players see the pattern that exists in that mathematical puzzle. They hope to make it come true and dog pile on Sulphur’s rich infield dirt.
“We hope to notch another one onto the board this year,” Bergeron said.
“We want to It all,” Ourso added.
Vandebilt Catholic softball pitcher Leah Bergeron fires a pitch during a playoff game.
