Matthews: Laf. schools improving options for college, career diploma
July 2, 2015
South Lafourche looking for baseball coach
July 2, 2015The Swampland Baseball League season was supposed to end this past week.
Mother Nature had other plans.
Teams attempted to play playoff games on two-straight days last week at Berwick High School, but torrential afternoon downpours halted those plans and extended the season for another week.
The Swampland Baseball League Semifinals and Finals will now be completed today at Vandebilt Catholic High School, of course, weather permitting.
In one semifinal matchup, BCG Services (Covenant Christian) will take on Robichaux Ford (Vandebilt Catholic). In the other, Synergy Bank (E.D. White) will take on the Braves (H.L. Bourgeois). The first semifinals is set for 4 p.m. with the other slated to begin at 6. Once those games are played, the summer champion will be crowned at 8 p.m. on the Terriers’ diamond.
The postseason started with six teams – an amount that was able to be chopped down to four on Wednesday afternoon when rare sunny skies allowed baseball to be played in Berwick.
On that opening-round day of postseason, H.L. Bourgeois used timely hitting and clutch pitching to push into the Semifinals in an 8-4 over Jester’s Court (Central Lafourche).
Braves’ starting pitcher Austin Labat was one of the stars of the day for HLB, recording three hits and three RBIs as a hitter in addition to steady work on the mound.
The win sets up a potential David vs. Goliath matchup in the Semifinals for the Braves against E.D. White, a team that is a traditional power within Louisiana. The Cardinals have won the Swampland Championship four times, and have a slew of talented players.
But Braves coach Cameron Pierce said his team will be ready.
“We’re going to be ready to battle,” Pierce said. “We know it’s going to be a challenge, but we wouldn’t want it to be any different, honestly. The kids have worked hard to be in a position just like this.”
In the other completed playoff game, Robichaux Ford played the role of spoiler, topping Taco Bell (Berwick) by a 5-2 score to end the host team’s summer season.
The Terriers jumped on top 3-1 in the first inning and never relented, using strong staff pitching to clinch a Semifinals bid versus CCA.
The winner of the Swampland season is insignificant for LHSAA athletic purposes, but it usually is a precursor of what’s to come.
History shows that the Swampland champion usually parlays that success into wins the next spring.
Swampland rosters are comprised of underclassmen prep baseball players from the area high schools in Lafourche, Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes.
