Donovan LaSalle lifts Barbe past West Monroe for Division I non-select title with grand slam
By LaMar Gafford
Team photo of Division I non-select champion Barbe
SULPHUR, La. - Every kid’s dream is to make a play in the clutch that wins a championship.
Those dreams turned into reality for Barbe senior Donovan LaSalle, as his seventh-inning grand slam helped the Buccaneers defeat West Monroe, 10-4, in the Division I non-select championship game at McMurry Park.
LaSalle, an Oklahoma State signee, was named Most Outstanding Player as the Bucs scored nine runs in the seventh inning to erase a 4-1 deficit to earn their 12th baseball title.
“Words can’t express the feelings that I have,” LaSalle said after going 2-for-4. “Everything’s surreal and I just want to give thanks to the Lord for the opportunity in that moment. I just play through Him.”
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Barbe (39-1) started its rally with singles by Presley Courville and Owen Galt to chase Rebel pitcher Drew Ferguson out of the game and allowing them to turn to their other ace, Brennan Eager.
The pitching change did not matter as Grant Trahan immediately loaded the bases with a single and Ashton Quiller drew a hit by pitch to score Courville. After LaSalle’s grand slam, the rally continued as Kasen Bellard hit an RBI single, a pair of passed balls scored two more and it ended with a Galt sacrifice fly to drive in another.
“I said (before the inning), ‘Look guys, it’s not over. We’ve got three more outs,’” Barbe coach Glenn Cecchini said. “Hope, faith and love will prevail forever. All the credit and glory goes to God and that we never gave up.”
West Monroe (34-5) got base hits from Hayden Federico and Tanner Roark in the bottom of the seventh, but JD Alexander shut the door.
It appeared that West Monroe was close to earning its second straight baseball title when it overtook the Bucs’ 1-0 lead after a pair of doubles by Jack Cowan and Roark in the fourth. The Rebels expanded their lead in the fourth and fifth innings after a dropped third strike and a passed ball.
Helping matters was shortstop Trent Anderson turning three double plays in the third, fourth and sixth innings to keep Barbe at bay.
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“That’s something that will haunt me for a while because we had this game won,” West Monroe coach Wayne Simoneaux said. “We have to learn how to finish seven. We have 22 of these 27 guys coming back, and I think that message was loud and clear.”
While the Bucs have had to rally to win championships before, this one was new for Cecchini, with his team coming back in the seventh to win one.
However, he had one message.
“This is not about my 12 (state titles), it’s about our 12,” Cecchini said. “It’s a players' game, and great players make coaches look good.”
Division I Select Baseball Championship
Jesuit 1, Archbishop Rummel 0
For the third time this season, Jesuit defeated Rummel and claimed its state-best 22nd state baseball title. A base hit by Patrick Berrigan in the fourth inning to drive in Hunter Oufnac was all the Blue Jays needed to help William Good.
Good tossed six innings with six strikeouts to win Most Outstanding Player. Michael Ryan led the Raiders with two hits.
Division II Select Baseball Championship
E.D. White 6, Vandebilt Catholic 2
After winning four straight baseball titles from 1998-2001, E.D. White has had to wait a long time to hoist another. But it did just that Saturday after plating four in the fifth inning to defeat Bayou Region rival Vandebilt Catholic.
Brendan Gaubert broke a 1-all tie to put the Cardinals ahead for good and netted him the Most Outstanding Player honors.
