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David didn’t fare very well against mighty Goliath on Thursday afternoon in the Class 3A Baseball State Playoffs.
No. 2 E.D. White scored six runs in the first inning and added more in every inning afterward, hammering No. 31 Albany 18-0 in a game stopped after four and a half innings because of the mercy rule.
The win moved the Cardinals to 25-4 on the season.
More importantly, it was the team’s first victory in a postseason push that E.D. White hopes ends in a state championship.
“Everyone here is playing for the state title,” senior pitcher Payton Coddou said. “That’s our biggest goal – especially for us seniors. We just want to get there again and win it. We made it to the semis last year, and we don’t want to have that taste in our mouths of getting there, getting close, but then losing out.”
“We’ve got to take it one game at a time to get there, but there’s no doubt that’s the goal,” senior slugger Brett Duet added. “Once we get there, I think we’ll be all right because of our experience. But we just have to take it one game at a time until that happens.”
Many factors contribute to the Cardinals’ dominance.
The first is pitching. E.D. White has a lot of that at its disposal.
E.D. White coach Shane Trosclair said his team relies upon five quality arms that can get outs in any situation.
That rotation is anchored by college-bound aces UNO signee Payton Coddou and Southeastern Louisiana signee Scott Szush, who routinely toss zeroes onto the scoreboard for the opposing team.
Against Albany, Coddou did just that, keeping Albany off balance with 12 strikeouts. He allowed just two hits and issued one walk in his five innings.
“I didn’t have my best stuff today, but when you get that many runs, your job is so much easier,” Coddou said. “I can stand up there and just throw strikes all day long. When you get six runs in the first inning, you can just pound the zone and not even worry about whether or not they’re hitting it.”
Trosclair said having so many pitchers is a luxury that most high-school teams don’t have.
He added that the depth is the biggest cog in the team’s success.
“We’re blessed with experience,” Trosclair said. “We’ve got six guys that we really like that we think can all get the job done – that’s a blessing. But we’re going to ride Payton and we’re going to ride Scott. We’re going to take our chances with those two guys and really like our odds for success.”
“Every one of our guys – one-through-whatever can get outs,” Coddou added. “Me and Scott, we’re both college arms. We’ve been here. We know what to do, and we know how to handle this. It’s just nice when you can throw, and know that even if you do bad, someone really good will be coming in to have your back.”
E.D. White’s bats aren’t too shabby, either.
From top-to-bottom, the Cardinals have hitters with averages at or above .400.
“Brett Duet is a really good ballplayer. Logan Barbera is a returning All-State catcher. My entire outfield is just really, really good. They are all hitting over .350,” Trosclair said. “My second baseman, Seth Gravois, hit .625 in district.
“I could give you examples all day. This is just an offense that is so balanced. My eight and nine-hole hitters are hitting around the .400 mark. There’s no easy outs in this lineup. We have a team full of hardworking kids who are capable of putting together good at-bats for us. … That’s something we haven’t had in the past.”
So with the first win out of the way, E.D. White is continuing to set its sights on the first-place trophy.
After the win against Albany, the Cardinals traveled to take on No. 18 Jewel Sumner on Tuesday. No score was available for that game at press-time.
Trosclair said following Thursday’s win that Szush would be the team’s starter in the second round game.
If victorious, E.D. White will host its quarterfinals game.
Trosclair said he knows his players aren’t satisfied with a runner-up finish.
“The kids don’t want to get there – they want to win it,” he said. “They’re tired of getting to the state tournament and losing. And so am I, quite honestly. That’s their goal. They know that they have what it takes, but most importantly, they are staying humble and hungry, because they know that in baseball, you can be beaten at any time.”
Elsewhere in the Tri-parishes
E.D. White wasn’t the only team to enjoy a mercy rule victory in the opening round of the playoffs.
No. 14 Vandebilt pounded No. 19 Beau Chene 18-1 to move to the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
The Terriers took on No. 3 West Ouachita in the second round. No score was available at press time.
In Class 3A, No. 19 Berwick is still alive after they scored a 3-2 upset win over home-standing No. 14 Jennings. With the win, Berwick hosted No. 3 Notre Dame in the second round.
In Class 1A, two Tri-parish teams battled in the first round.
No. 5 Central Catholic topped No. 28 Houma Christian 8-2 in a home game. With the win, the Eagles earned another home game in the second round against No. 12 St. Martin’s Episcopal.
E.D. White baseball player Jace Toups slides safely under the tag of Albany’s catcher during the third inning of Thursday’s first round game between the teams. The Cardinals routed Albany 18-0 in the opening round. With the win, E.D. White moved on to play No. 12 St. Martin’s Episcopal in the second round.
