J. EDMUND BARNES

SULPHUR- Lutcher lost 4-3 to Teurlings Catholic in the last inning on Friday, ending a run on the state championship and sending the first of three River Parishes teams home to contemplate what should have and could have been done differently. The game, like most of contests that afternoon, was played to the peak of the competitors’ ability and the outcome was in doubt to the very last pitch. In the end, though, Lutcher found themselves having given their all and still coming up short. “I am proud of the way we played. When they went up 2-0, we could’ve gotten down, but we didn’t and showed a lot of character,” said Lutcher coach Helen Funk. “They went up, then we went up, and then they got the timely hits.” Those timely hits came in the fourth and sixth innings. The Lady Rebels first took the lead in the fourth with two runs off shallow singles that dropped just beyond the infield. In the sixth they rallied behind a pair of singles off of Courtney Boudreaux and Callie Badeaux, who were then sent home by a 2 RBI single by Mia Roy. Lutcher scored all their runs in the fifth inning. Pitcher Michelle Roussel (14-4) hit a two-run triple to give Lutcher the lead. Roussel was also effective on the defense, earning four strikeouts and holding Teurlings to seven hits. “She pitched a heck of a game,” said Coach Funk of Roussel. “I think we earned their respect today.”