By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

LUTCHER- Lutcher senior lefthander Jared Poche remembered that unwelcome feeling from a year ago, when he was the man on the mound in Lutcher’s 11-9 quarterfinal loss to Holy Cross. He was determined not to let it happen again.

That determination went a long way, Monday.

Poche struck out 12 batters over a six inning two hitter and Lutcher’s bats did the rest, the second-seeded Bulldogs rolling to a 11-1 Class 4A quarterfinal victory over seventh-seeded DeRidder .

The game ended after six innings because of the 10-run rule, after Spencer Roussel’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth plated the Bulldogs’ final run of the day.

“Last year, I started that game and we fell a bit short,” said Poche. “I knew I had to give it everything I had to help push our team on. This was a huge team win. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone here.”

The victory propels Lutcher to the 4A state baseball tournament in Sulphur, where LHS is set for semifinal action.

Monday represented the third quarterfinal game for the Bulldogs in the past five years, and their first victory. Lutcher (27-4) is set for the first state baseball tournament appearance in Davey Clement’s tenure as head coach.

“It’s just a great feeling. An wonderful feeling,” said Clement, wearing a broad smile. “We finally broke through.”

Lutcher scored four runs in the second inning, providing a huge shot of confidence for a team that’s rarely needed more run support than that; Lutcher has won 13 straight games, and has allowed no more than three runs in any of those victories. LHS has allowed just 15 total runs over that span.

“Any time our offense gives me some early runs like that, it’s an incredible lift,” said Poche. “I have all the confidence I need to just go up there and throw strikes.”

Lutcher’s Corey Merrill went 4 for 4 with two RBIs. Chase Caldarera hit a solo home run. Zachary Zimmer went 2 for 4 with three RBIs.

Poche (10-0) struck out the first three batters he faced and went on to record his first nine outs of the day on strikeouts.

LHS snapped a 13-game winning streak for DeRidder (27-8).

Merrill started the Lutcher scoring surge by singling to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Luke LeBlanc reached on an error and Roussel walked to load the bases. Sully Laiche, Jordan Oubre and Sully Martin each pushed runs across on ground balls and Zimmer singled home another to make it 4-0. Then, in the third, a Caldarera solo home run to right made it 5-0.

“We knew coming in that (DeRidder) just doesn’t give up runs,” said Clement. “But our guys went up there and battled, like they’ve done all year.”

But DeRidder had its own chances to break loose in the third and fourth innings. In the third, Poche hit Vinny Venturella with a pitch, then walked Brandon Hooper and allowed a single to Joe Mike Baldwin to load the bases with one out. But Poche struck out the next two Dragon batters to end the threat.

“We feel confident (after scoring four runs), then we walk a few and we’re right back to being nervous,” said Clement.

Then, in the fourth, he walked Logan Myers before Teddy Alexander bunted his way on after a Lutcher error. Chandler Roberts drove Myers in on a ground ball with one out, but that was the only run DeRidder could muster from it.

The Dragons could muster no more of a push. Poche finished the game allowing two hits and three walks, while hitting a batter. He retired the final eight batters he faced.

“I hit a guy and walked a guy, and momentum shifted a little bit to their side,” said Poche.

“I feel like, as a senior, it’s my responsibility to kill that momentum and stop them from gaining their footing.”

Clement said Poche dealt with some discomfort in his ribcage area during the game, perhaps contributing to a little early wildness.

Their adjustment was simple: just throw strikes.

“Get some quick outs,” said Clement. “To that point, they had two hits. So pound the zone and see if they can hit the ball.”

Lutcher slammed the door in the fifth and sixth. Merrill’s two RBI double made it 7-1 in the fifth. Zimmer tripled home two more runs in the sixth and scored himself on an error to make it 10-1. Then Roussel brought it home.

“We’ve got it written on the back of our hats. We say it every day. Finish,” said Merrill. “We weren’t gonna let (what happened last year) happen again.”

Now, Lutcher is headed to Sulphur.

“I’ve got butterflies in my stomach already,” said Merrill.