Lutcher ends Bobcats’ season

After losing 13-7 in the first game of the best of three on Friday, the Eunice High Bobcats came back to even the series against the Lutcher High Bulldogs with a 5-3 victory Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Field.
But the Bulldogs advanced to the Class 3-A quaterfinals with a 10-5 win in the decisive third game.
In must win game on Saturday, the Bobcats rallied around senior pitcher Caleb Taylor to down the Bulldogs, who were designated as the home team for that game.
Taylor, who improved his season record to 9-2, scattered eight hits and just two earned runs; striking out five and issuing no walks.
The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the second, but the Bobcats struck for three runs in the top of the third for a 3-1 lead.
With one out, Cade Richard singled and Logan Manuel reached base on an error.
Wesley Hebert singled home Richard and Christian Taylor singled to score Manuel and advance Hebert to third base.
Tyler Darbonne’s grounder scored Hebert with the third run.
The Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the third on a single by Luke Zeringue and a double by Cameron Guillot, but Taylor struck out cleanup hitter Ethan Bland, stranding Guillott at second base.
The Bobcats responded to the Bulldogs’ run by scoring two more runs in the top of the fourth to extend their lead to 5-3.
Josh Youngblood drew a walk to open the inning and courtesy runner Ian George advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Caleb Taylor and later scored on a wild pitch. Logan Manuel singled in a second run, driving in Zac Guillory who had reached base on an error.
Taylor made the lead hold up, giving up only one hit over the fourth and fifth innings. The Bulldogs used an error and a run-scoring single by Tanner Heltz to cut the lead to 5-3 in the sixth inning, but Taylor retired the side in the bottom of the seventh with the help of an outstanding running catch by Hebert in left-centerfield.
The win by the Bobcats set up a decisive third game to determine which team would advance to the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately for the Bobcats, senior centerfielder Christian Lejeune had suffered a broken bone in his hand in the second game and was unavailable to play in the third game.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the top of the first inning against sophomore starting pitcher Austin Manuel. Guillott and Bland each drove in a run with sacrifice flies.
Manuel shut out the Bulldogs in the second inning, but Lutcher would use their speed and bunting ability to chase Manuel in the third inning, scoring six runs for an 8-0 lead.
The Bobcats responded with four runs in the bottom of the third.
Cameron Givens drew a walk, Richard was hit by a pitch, and Logan Manuel singled in a run and Hebert walked. Christian Taylor singled in two runs and Youngblood drove in the fourth run with a sacrifice fly. But the Cats were unable to add to their total until the bottom of the seventh when Hebert hit a solo home run. The Bulldogs had added two runs in the top of the seventh, claiming the right to advance to the quarterfinals with a 10-5 victory.
The Bobcats fell by a 13-7 margin in the opening game of the series. Darbonne led the Cats with three hits in that game, while Richard drove in two runs.
The Bobcats finished the season with an impressive record of 26-7, which included a District 5-3A championship.