By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

PATTERSON – St. Charles Catholic decided eight was not enough.

The Comets will be making what has become a traditional trip to Sulphur for the ninth consecutive season after nailing down a 14-0 Class 3A regional round playoff victory at Patterson, wrapping things up in five innings by the 10-run rule.

Awaiting St. Charles at the state softball tournament is Buckeye. The game will be one of those kicking the tournament off, slated for a 12 p.m. start.

“It says a lot about the program. By that, I mean the parents, the kids, the coaches, the support staff … it’s all been there and that’s the biggest thing I take from it.

“I don’t know what it is about this team, but it’s just a feeling I have. I can’t put a finger on it. Every team that goes to Sulphur is special, but I’ve just felt that this team needed to play in Sulphur. They deserve to go to Sulphur, and now that’s gonna happen.”

Patterson (19-11), the No. 23 seed in this year’s 3A field, upset No. 10 Loranger 3-0 in the first round of postseason play.

But St. Charles (21-6) was determined not to suffer the same fate as the seventh seed, scoring six runs in each of the second and third innings to put the Lumberjacks away early.

Chelsea Loupe recorded her second consecutive shutout, allowing no runs over five complete innings. She allowed two hits while walking two and striking out six.

“We knew Patterson came from a tough district, so we weren’t about to take them lightly,” said Loupe. “Getting back to Sulphur was our ultimate goal. We’ve finally done that, and now we’re moving on to our next goal.”

At the plate, Destiny Wesley went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBIs for SCC. Cori Millet went 3 for 4 with two RBIs. Karli Terrio also went 3 for 4, and Jessica Mire and Morgan Nobile each went 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

After Emily Triche and Millet each reached to begin the inning, Megan Ruiz got the first run home on a suicide squeeze bunt play; Triche beat the throw to push SCC ahead 1-0 while Ruiz reached first. Morgan Nobile came up next and dropped a bloop hit behind Patterson pitcher Taylor Hall to make it 2-0, Millet beating the tag at home like Triche before her.

SCC scored it next four runs with two outs. Mire slammed a double to bring home two runs, then Loupe smashed an RBI double of her own to make it 5-0. Wesley registered the third consecutive RBI double for the Comets to make it a 6-0 lead.

“It all really started with Jessica. She got a rip shot for a double and we all got going after that,” said Wesley.

Paige Williams led off the Comets half of the third by drawing a walk and Nobile brought her home via a double. Terrio and Mire loaded the bases via consecutive singles, and Wesley’s two-run single made it 9-0. Millet followed with a two-run single of her own to make it 11-0, and SCC scored its 12th run on an error.

SCC added two more runs in the fifth inning to create the final margin of victory.

The Comets have seven seniors on this year’s team, each part of a class that has never failed to qualify for Sulphur.

“We’re going back home,” said Loupe with a smile.