VC Lady Eagles hold off Abbeville in softball

The Vermilion Catholic Lady Eagles jumped ahead early and held on for a 9-7 victory against the Abbeville Lady Wildcats on Tuesday.
This season the two teams met for bragging rights with the Lady Eagles winning both contests. VC head coach Kim Guidry thought her team did a good job of overcoming challenges.
“We did a good job of playing through adversity,” Guidry said. “Two or three times during the game we didn’t know what was going on because the officials didn’t know what was going on. We didn’t give up; We persevered. It was a good win.”
VC scored five runs in the second inning to jump ahead 5-1. Emma Prejean and Brynn Broussard had RBI singles, while Bree Thomassee had an RBI double. Grace Carpenter had the big hit in the inning with a two-RBI triple.
The Lady Cats responded in the in the bottom of the inning without getting a hit. They took advantage of three walks and three passed balls to score two runs. Sarinity Wallace and Kylie Walker scored to narrow the gap to 5-3.
Abbeville got to within 5-4 in the bottom of the fourth when Aaliyah Bessard singled and came around to score.
VC answered by scoring four times in the fifth to take a 9-4 lead. Jenna-Beth Hagle and Prejean each had singles in the inning while Carpenter had an RBI double.
The Lady Cats roared back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three times. Walker and Rhyleigh Bessard walked to lead off the inning while Aaliyah Pilette delivered a two-RBI triple to make it 9-7
Abbeville threatened again in the bottom of the seventh when Ariel Stelly drew a one-out walk. With two out, Aaliyah Pillette sent a shot to right centerfield. The Lady Eagles executed a perfect relay from the outfield and catcher Anna Boudreaux tagged Stelly out at the plate to end the game.

“It was textbook perfect,” Guidry said. “We practice, practice, practice and hope it sets in. Apparently, they were listening one day.”
Lady Cats’ head coach Jonathan Zenon thought his girls played well. He believes the next step in their development is learning to play as a team.
“It was a great game,” Zenon said. “There were some missed calls here and there, but at the end of the day our girls fought hard. They played exceptionally well. We just need to learn that softball is a team sport, not individual. When we make a mistake, we need to pick each other up, not put each other down.”
Prejean started in the circle for VC and earned the win. Hagle came on in relief to pick up the save. Carpenter led the way at the plate with a double, a triple, and three RBI.
Walker got the start for Abbeville. She struck out five in five innings of work. Ariel Stelly pitched the final two innings. Pillette led the Lady Cats at the dish with two triples and two RBI.

VC........................17
WCA Opelousas....3

The Lady Eagles won their second straight game, beating Westminster, 17-3 on Tuesday.
VC is now 3-3 overall and ranked No. 22 in the Division IV Select power rankings. The top 24 make the playoffs.
After the first two innings, VC led only 5-3.
The Lady Eagles exploded for seven runs in third inning to blow the game open.
VC hit two home runs. Bree Thomasee hit a grand slam in the fourth inning.
Also with a home run was lead-off hitter Grace Carpenter, who opened the game with a solo home run.
Ali Broussard had a double, triple and knocked in five runs.