Turning point: Plaquemine erupts over Lady Eagles in Annual Pink Game
PLAQUEMINE - Plaquemine Senior High School exploded for seven runs in the seventh inning to claim a 16-8 victory over St. John in the Fourth Annual Pink Game on Friday afternoon at Lady Eagle Park.
The Lady Devils were outhit 13-11 by St. John (18-12) but only committed five errors to the Lady Eagles’ seven. Kameryn Fairchild’s three-run home run in the fifth inning put Plaquemine ahead for good.
“We just had to keep believing in what we were doing,” Plaquemine coach Mary Gaye David said. “We were getting hits and runners on base but just weren’t getting the timely hit to score the runs.
“You could definitely see the tide turning on the home run. It was a major turning point in the game for both teams. We have leaned on the heart of our lineup all year but today everybody came through.”
Mallory Perrault earned the win in the circle striking out two over seven innings while walking just one.
Fairchild was 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run, double and seven RBIs, while Perrault was 2-for-4 with one RBI and Mia Johnson was 2-for-5 with one RBI.
“We didn’t make plays,” St. John coach Cindy Prouty said. “We didn’t clutch up and left too many people on base. That all comes with maturity. They kept fighting and that is what you have to do.
“I felt very good about our chances of winning that game as long as we could get out of that inning with no runs.”
Kyndal Guillory took the loss in a five-inning outing for St. John. Monica Rivet pitched the remaining two innings.
Brooklyn Pearce was 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs, while Shelbi Strickland (double, RBI) and Grace Acosta were each 2-for-4.
Perrault beat out a two-out bases loaded grounder to ignite the Lady Devils’ seventh inning rally. Fairchild’s chopper through the infield added two more runs before a pair of errors allowed two more.
Third baseman Johnson caught two pop ups diving forward in the bottom of the seventh as the Lady Eagles were retired in order.
Guillory hit a two-run double to the right gap in the first inning before Pearce’s bouncer through the infield put St. John ahead 3-0.
The Lady Eagles extended it to 5-0 in the third on singles by Cortlyn Theriot and Acosta. Pearce lined to left to lead off the inning and Richard followed with a double to the right gap.
Plaquemine finally got on the board in the fourth inning. Samantha Nugent dropped a single to shallow right and Perrault lined through the left infield. Fairchild followed with a two-run double inside the third base line.
Strickland lined to left to lead off the bottom half and Guillory dropped a single inside the first base line before Pearce hit into a campfire to plate a run.
Fairchild’s home run to straight away centerfield in the fifth inning put Plaquemine ahead 8-7. Kristyn Fairchild followed with an RBI-double to the left gap. Hope Spencer singled to lead off the inning.
Strickland’s double over the left fielder cut it to 9-8 in the bottom half after Blanchard lined through the infield and Gracie Trahan beat out a grounder.
Plaquemine loaded the bases in the sixth on a walk, hit batter and bunt but came up empty as Rivet got out of the inning with two strikeouts.
Payton Passantino stretched a one-out double in the sixth for St. John but Perrault induced consecutive ground balls to go unscathed.
