April 14
April 14, 2009
Charles "Bob" Craver
April 16, 2009
If E.D. White Catholic softball coach Scott Dupont could change anything about his team, he would rid them of their bad habit of falling behind early in games.
But then he wouldn’t be witness to the great comeback victories his club has managed to pull off this season.
Add to that list Thursday’s win over the Berwick Lady Panthers 7-6 to claim the District 7-3A championship – the first softball district title in school history.
The Lady Cardinals (20-5, 7-1) trailed 6-0 after three innings and 6-3 entering the bottom of the seventh inning.
“It shows the character and the heart of the kids,” Dupont said. “I told them, ‘We’re not champions because of what the scoreboard says. We’re champions because of what’s inside.’ It’s that determination that got us the district title.”
It seemed like the entire E.D. White community was behind the Lady Cardinals’ comeback effort.
After the Cardinals baseball team clobbered the Patterson Lumberjacks 11-1 in six innings, most E.D. White fans in attendance quickly dispatched to the adjacent softball field. The baseball team jumped over the outfield fence to catch the end of the Lady Cardinals’ victory.
Down 6-4 with the bases loaded, senior Kristen Gaubert blasted a bases-clearing double to score the winning run.
Mass chaos ensued on that final hit.
For seniors Gaubert, Lauren Blanchard, Maci Gravois and Kyla Rodrigue, the season’s ending marks a complete turnaround from the five-win season they suffered through their freshman year.
“We’ve come full circle,” Dupont said. “It’s been a year-by-year building process. The kids that stuck with the program, those are the kids I’m most proud of.”
The Lady Cardinals’ positive attitude and maturity have kept them in every game this year, according to the coach.
But he knows if E.D. White is to do better then their 18-3 loss to Lutcher in the bi-district playoff round last year, they will need to score runs quicker in ballgames.
“We need to work on our base running and not falling behind early in games,” Dupont said. “These endings are spectacular, but, eventually, if you have these types of games, you’re not going to pull it out one of these times. We’ve got to jump out a little earlier.”
He will also be relying even heavier on the ace of his pitching staff junior Jeanne Robichaux. Her combination of power and variety of pitches makes it hard for hitters guess what’s coming next.
“She has five or six different pitches she can throw. She paints the corners very well and throws to different locations,” Dupont said. “She’s the total package as far as we’re concerned. She’s the gas in the car that makes us go.”
After 12 years as Lady Cardinal head coach, Dupont has made E.D. White the best team in the district. Now comes the hard part – staying on top.
“This is where we want our program to be for years to come,” he said. “This proves that if we keep working hard and you add some dedication and perseverance, we will keep having success.”
Lady Cardinal senior Kristen Gaubert belted this bases-clearing double to beat the Berwick Lady Panthers 7-6 and claim the school’s first district softball title. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
