After coming up short the last two seasons, Welsh finally got over the hump Tuesday and ended its six-year Louisiana High School Athletic Association state tournament drought.

No. 2 Welsh staked a claim to an early lead to beat No. 7 Grand Lake 6-3 at Sportsman’s Park in the Non-select Division IV quarterfinals.

Welsh (22-10) will play the winner out of No. 3 DeQuincy and No. 6 Vinton on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the semifinals at McMurry Park in Sulphur.

The Greyhounds lost in the quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.

Welsh scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning with one out and never trailed. Wyatt Kershaw and Cohen Fontenot hit RBI singles, and Brecken Haydel scored on a bases-loaded walk.

Dane Iguess won for the fourth time in five starts and held the Hornets (22-8) to three runs on seven hits, and Cohen Cormier pitched a scoreless seventh inning to pick up the save. Iguess had nine strikeouts and four walks.

Iguess kept the Hornets scoreless until the sixth inning when Law Faulk hit a base-loaded double to left field with two outs. Faulk’s big hit cut the Greyhounds’ lead in half, but Iguess snuffed out the rally with a ground out.

Grand Lake had a great scoring chance in the second inning after Iguess loaded the bases with two outs on three consecutive walks, but he bounced back with his third strikeout of the inning.

 

Tuesday

Quarterfinals

Non-select

Division IV

Welsh 6

Grand Lake    3

GL        000 003 0 – 3-7-2

WHS    321 000 x – 6-6-1

PITCHING: W – Dane Iguess. L – Bransyn Mudd. Sv – Cohen Cormier.

TOP HITTERS: Grand Lake – Jaxson Busby 2-2 (run), Law Faulk 1-3 (3 RBI, double). Welsh – Brecken Haydel 2-4 (run, 2 RBI).

RECORDS: Grand Lake – 22-8. Welsh – 22-10.