Barbe Bucs bomb Northshore in regional round
Published 8:19 am Friday, April 22, 2022
- Barbe’s Kailey Edwards slides into second as Northshore’s Kobi Paige jumps to make the catch during a Class 5A regional playoff game at Barbe High School on Thursday. (Kirk Meche / Special to the American Press)
Defending state champion Barbe capped their home season in style with a 10-0 win over No. 12 Northshore in a Class 5A regional.
The No. 5 Bucs (24-6) will travel to play No. 4 West Monroe Saturday in the quarterfinal round. The winner advances to next week’s state tournament in Sulphur.
West Monroe advanced with an 11-1 win over No. 13 West Ouachita.
Barbe scored seven runs over the third and fourth innings to take control of the game. Nyjah Fontenot hit a three-run home run in the third inning to open the scoring. Halie Pappion reached on an error and scored on a double by Kailey Edwards.
The Bucs added to the lead with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI double by Pappion and two-run home run by Chretien.
Fontenot and Brenna Moncrief homered in the sixth inning to invoke the mercy rule.
Papillon dominated in the circle, allowing Northshore (21-8) only two infield hits in the sixth inning. She struck out 10 without any walks.
Fontenot finished with three hits, three runs and four RBI.
“Coach had just talked about leaving runners on base, so we were just trying to score some runs,” Fontenot said of her first home run.
“I was just trying to find a way since we had runners on. I didn’t know if it was going to get out but everything worked out. It’s amazing to hit two home runs in my last home game. It hasn’t been as good a year offensively as last year, but just to go out with a bang felt phenomenal. Now I’m excited to go on the road Saturday to try to punch our ticket to state.”
Edwards doubled twice and Pappion had two hits and three runs.
“I really like where we are at, we had a plan, we stuck to it, they trusted us and I am super grateful for that,” Bucs head coach Candyce Carter said. “This senior class is one of a kind, super special. They are leaders all around and great people. I just want to keep surviving and advancing with them, and have one more moment with them. I don’t want it to end.”
The Bucs senior class is now 11-1 in the playoffs, with the lone loss coming as freshmen in the 2019 state championship game.
