SULPHUR — For the first time since 1997, Vermilion Catholic baseball is heading back to the state championship game.
The Screaming Eagles punched their ticket to the Division IV Select title game with a dramatic 9-8 win over Riverside Academy in Tuesday's semifinal matchup.
Vermilion Catholic struck first with a run in the opening inning, as Jackson Trahan drove in the game's first run with a single past the pitcher. But the Rebels responded quickly in the third, taking a 2-1 lead on a two-run single by Ayden Bullock.
Riverside continued to apply pressure in the fifth inning, extending their lead to 6-3. The Eagles, however, mounted a rally in the bottom half of the frame. Caden DeHart highlighted a four-run inning with a clutch two-run double, giving VC a 7-6 advantage.
The teams traded runs in the sixth to make it 8-8, but Will Simon came through with the eventual game-winning hit — a drive to right that snuck past the third baseman and outfielder to bring home the go-ahead run.
Riverside loaded the bases in the seventh, but Brody Vicknair grounded into a 1-2-3 double play to end the game.
Vermilion Catholic will face Ouachita Christian for the state title on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
In the Division IV Non-Select semifinal, the Welsh Greyhounds walked it off in extra innings to secure their first state championship appearance since 2018.
Down 6-5 in the bottom of the seventh against DeQuincy, Cohen Fontenot delivered a game-tying RBI double down the right field line, scoring Hunter LeJune.
Then, with the game still tied in the eigth, Dane Iguess played the hero, crushing a ball to center field to drive in the winning run. Welsh earned the 7-6 victory and will play Oak Grove for the championship, also at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
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