Bucs bounce back with win, Guidry’s arm buys Barbe’s bats time to warm up
Published 1:16 pm Sunday, March 28, 2021
Rodrick Anderson
SULPHUR — The Barbe Bucs came back from an early four-run deficit and scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning Saturday to beat District 3-5A rival Sulphur 10-5.
The Bucs avoided back-to-back losses after suffering their first loss Thursday to Sam Houston 6-4.
“Sulphur played great,” Barbe head coach Glenn Cecchini said. “We have to give them credit.
“We threw good pitching and they were squaring up balls, hitting hard line drives and hard ground balls. We were not squaring up many balls early and they were beating us.
“We were not giving them anything. They were earning it. Then we started coming back. We had some really good at-bats late. It is what champions do. They come back, play hard and never give up.”
The key for the Bucs (21-1, 2-1) was their six- through nine-hole hitters and a huge relief performance from right-hander Gavin Guidry.
Guidry entered the game with Bucs trailing 4-3 with one out in the bottom of the third inning. He held the Tors scoreless for 42⁄3 innings while striking out seven and walking two.
“He wasn’t as dominating as he usually is,” Cecchini said. “But again, give Sulphur credit. It was a great game. I am proud of our guys.”
Kam Edwards, Grant Comeaux, Ethan Medlin and Crawford Courville accounted for eight of the Bucs’ 10 runs and seven of 10 hits.
“They do a good job,” Cecchini said. “Comeaux came up strong. Kam had a big hit to drive in the tying run. Courville has been really big.”
Edwards’ single off the right-field wall with one out in the top of the seventh inning tied the score at 5-5. He scored the go-ahead run on a single by Comeaux. Courville added a two-run single and went 2-for-2 while scoring three times. Comeaux went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Tors (10-13, 2-1) came out on fire with a pair of runs in the first and second innings, while starting pitcher Vinny Collins retired the first six batters he faced, including four strikeouts.
Luke Benoit and Dillon Bird drove in single runs in the first inning for the Tors, and Jake Brown put down a bunt to bring home Gunner Gremillion and scored on a hit by Benoit in the second inning.
Sulphur added a run in the third but left 11 runners stranded.
Walker Bridges took the loss after allowing five earned runs on four hits in 11⁄3 innings.
The Tors and Bucs will meet again at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Barbe.
Barbe’s Crawford Courville lays down a bunt against the Tors Saturday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
