Bucs do enough to support Walker
Warren Arceneaux
Barbe manufactured enough offense to support standout pitcher Jack Walker in a 4-3 win over Haughton in Game 1 of a Class 5A best-of-three quarterfinal series.
Game 2 is at noon today. Game 3 will follow if necessary.
Walker (13-0) struck out 10 and allowed four hits in his third consecutive complete game playoff win.
“They were a first-pitch swinging team so I was working my curveball to get ahead in the count,” Walker said.
Gavin Guidry scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth, heading home for third after a throw to second on a Kyle Debarge stolen base attempt.
“We kept being aggressive and were able to manufacture a run,” Barbe head coach Glenn Cecchini said.
“We are always going to play to win. That’s what we’ve done all year, try to manufacture runs.
“It was a battle. They did some good things, came out swinging. I told the guys that’s the mark of a good team — you have to able to win 2-1, 3-2, 4-3 games. We’ve been very consistent with that.”
Each team scored a run in the first inning. Haughton’s Chase Keith singled to right to score Peyton Stovall in the top of the inning.
Barbe’s J.C. Vanek doubled and scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the inning. Barbe (36-2) had three straight batters hit with a pitch but left the bases loaded.
Barbe took a 2-1 lead in the second inning. Ethan Medlin was hit by a pitch and scored on a Debarge double.
Barbe extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth inning. Medlin singled to lead off the inning and scored on a twoout single to center by Vanek.
Haughton (26-8) tied the score in the top of the sixth. Carter Griffin reached second on an error. Stovall was intentionally walked. Collin Rains slapped a single to right field to score Griffin. Stovall scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
Walker, pitching his final home game Barbe, worked around a single in the seventh to close out his final home start.
“It was real important for me to finish,” he said. “It’s been a long four years and I have a lot of great memories here. It feels good to go out with a win.”
Jack Walker struck out 10 batters in leading the Bucs to the Game 1 victory over Haughton Friday in the best-of-three series at Barbe High School.