Knights rock Iowa in district opener, hit pair of grand slams
Published 4:50 pm Wednesday, March 24, 2021
Rodrick Anderson
LONGVILLE —South Beauregard slugged its way out of a three-run deficit to beat Iowa 14-4 Tuesday to open District 4-3A play.
“They came out and had big first inning and scored three, and we responded,” South Beauregard head coach Jeremy Deville said. “We have kind of done that all year.
“The team scores and we respond. They don’t get rattled. There were a lot of innings left. Nobody panicked and we strung some runs together. We just wanted to win the rest of the innings, and I think we did.”
The Golden Knights (16-2, 1-0) totaled 12 hits, led by a pair of grand slams, one by Alex McCain and the other by Rett Bowman. It was the first home run of the season for both players.
McCain’s blast came in the top fifth inning and gave South Beauregard an 8-3 lead. Bowman’s bomb to right field put the Golden Knights up 14-3 in the seventh inning.
South Beauregard also mixed in some small ball and two-out hitting. Down 3-0 in the top of the second inning, Carter Caraway hit a two-out two-run double and Austin Felice followed with an RBI single to tie the score. Felice went 3-for-3.
“We wanted to put pressure on them the best we could,” Deville said. “We put some bunts down and we had some two-out hits. That wins games.”
Bowman (5-1) almost went the distance on the mound before being relieved by Jace Duhon with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. Bowman struck out six and walked five while allowing four hits but no earned runs.
“I thought he threw well today,” Deville said of Bowman. “He got behind in some counts, and he came back. He was able to throw strikes. He is our guy.”
Deville said he doesn’t think his team has reached its potential. The Golden Knights won their fifth consecutive game and are ranked No. 2 in the more recent Class 3A power ratings.
“They have been playing hard,” Deville said. “I don’t think we have peaked yet. They are gritty. I think the best is yet to come.”
Iowa (9-8, 0-1) starting pitcher Caiden Fontenot retired the side in the first inning.
The Yellow Jackets took a 3-0 lead on a two-run error and a two-out RBI double by Cameron Lavergne, but Iowa left five runners stranded over the next five innings.
Cade Labruyere scored in the bottom of the seventh on a Jacob Kershaw sacrifice fly.
S. Beauregard 14
Iowa 4
S. Beau 030 061 4—14-12-2
Iowa 300 000 1—4-4-3
PITCHING: W — Rett Bowman. L — Caiden Fontenot.
TOP HITTERS: Iowa — Cameron Lavergne 1-3 (RBI, double), Dezmon Dugas 1-3 (run, double). South Beauregard — Charles Keith 2-3 (2 runs), Eli Goss 2-3 (run), Austin Felice 3-3 (run, RBI, double).
Austin Felice went 3-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI in South Beauregard’s 14-4 District 4-3A win over Iowa Tuesday afternoon in Longville.
South Beauregard’s Britton Coleman, left, and Bryce Jensen, No. 14, congratulate Alex McCain at the plate after McCain hit a fifth-inning grand slam against Iowa during a District 4-3A game Tuesday in Longville.
