By DOUG IRELAND, Journal Sports
The hallmark of sustained excellence is consistency, so it figures that Calvary Baptist softball team would mirror last year’s state tournament success over the weekend as the Lady Cavaliers tied a state record with their sixth consecutive LHSAA championship.
Last year they run-ruled district rival D’Arbonne Woods (in the finals) after a hard-fought victory over Parkview Baptist. This time, the Lady Timberwolves were drubbed 12-2 Saturday in the semis and the Lady Eagles put up a good fight, but Calvary pushed away with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and posted a 5-2 title game triumph.
Only Vermilion Catholic, Hackberry and Linville – all in smaller classifications – had previously captured six straight state titles until Sunday. The victory was the eighth LHSAA crown starting in 2016 and 2017 captured by coach Tiffany Frazier Wood and her program, and no program has ever reached eight title games without a loss.
Another milestone: Sunday’s game was her 400th career win. One more: Saturday was her birthday, and yes, the team serenaded her in the wake of the run-rule rout.
With the final two victories at their home-away-from-home in Sulphur at the North Frasch Softball Complex, the Lady Cavaliers capped a 37-1 season that has at times had them ranked No. 1 in various national polls. They’re currently as high as No. 2, but looking down at every other program in every division and classification in Louisiana.
Kynzee Anderson delivered both wins in the circle, firing a three-hitter Sunday with nine strikeouts. Saturday, the Georgia commit was slightly bruised by two first-inning runs but locked down D’Arbonne Woods afterward, also striking out nine as Calvary put it away with a six-run sixth inning.
Sunday’s victory was a pitching duel most of the way. Calvary jumped up 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Baylor Bockhaus drilled a homer to left followed by doubles from Loren Sivils and Jaycee Sledge to pad the margin.
After a Parkview homer in the top half of the sixth, Sledge delivered another RBI double. She scored on a bunt single by Hallie Rinaudo resulting in a collision at first base that Sledge used to scamper into the dugout for a 4-1 edge. Carlie Guile ripped a double to right field to plate Rinaudo and lift Calvary ahead by four, an insurmountable margin for a team that hadn’t given up five runs in any game this season – and facing Anderson, the presumptive repeat Class 2A Player of the Year.
Saturday in the semifinals, the Lady Cavs shook off D’Arbonne Woods’ surprising start by answering in the bottom of the first with a five-spot, highlighted by Mallory Carver’s two-run double after a two-run single from eighth-grader Ellie Duran.
They erupted in the sixth, rolling in six runs to end the game, on RBI singles by Anderson, Reese Walker, Brynn Robinson and Sivils along with a sacrifice fly by Guile.
Contact Doug at sbjdoug@gmail.com