Bucs blank Tors again Guidry goes distance
Published 1:33 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2022
- Tors’ shortstop Gage Trahan fields the ball after Barbe’s Holden Leblanc reaches second base safely during a District 3-5A game Tuesday night at McMurry Park in Sulphur. (Kirk Meche / Special to the American Press)
SULPHUR — Gavin Guidry went the distance on the mound and Blake Moss came up with the timely hits as No. 1 Barbe blanked No. 3 Sulphur 6-0 for the second time in four days Tuesday evening at McMurry Park.
“Victorian pitched great the other day, and Guidry pitched great again,” Barbe head coach Glenn Cecchini said. “I don’t think these guys (Sulphur) were shut out all year long, and we shut them out twice. It was a team effort.”
Guidry pitched his second consecutive shutout against a top-four team after blanking No. 4 Sam Houston last week. Guidry had seven strikeouts and no walks and scattered five hits.
“When I played against Sam Houston last week, I really didn’t have command of my fastball,” Guidry said. “I had to dominate more with my breaking stuff.
“I had a little better fastball command today, and I think it helped me keep them off balance. I got a lot more swings and misses today than last week.”
After giving up a leadoff single to Pierce McCormick in the fifth inning, Guidry retired nine consecutive batters to close out the game.
“He is always cool and steady and does what he has to do,” Cecchini said. “I am so proud of him.
“I am not superstitious, but he has never lost a game at Barbe. He has pitched a lot of great ones, and he gets all the toughest assignments. He has been really good for a long time for us, and he helps us offensively.”
Sulphur starting pitcher Jake Brown struck out 10 with seven walks. He shut out the Bucs (23-1, 3-1 District 3-5A) until the fourth inning when Moss hit an RBI single with two outs. Moss added a two-run single in the sixth, and Guidry added a two-run double.
“Blake Moss had a couple of big hits,” Cecchini said. “He has done a great job. This is the first year he has started at Barbe, and he is hitting over .500. I am so proud of him. He is about to get a scholarship to LSU-Eunice.”
The Tors (18-5, 2-2) will look to bounce back Thursday at home against Comeaux.
“We have to find a way to stay away from the big inning,” Sulphur head coach Sam Moore said. “We outhit them, but they got the hits where they needed them.
“We talked to the kids and we knew we were facing a good arm. We had a good arm out there as well, and we matched them toe-to-toe for a while.
“This series doesn’t define what we need to do for our season. We know what our long-range goal is, and we will bounce back.”