Rain storm halts Class 1A semis
Warren Arceneaux
SULPHUR — Grand Lake took a 2-0 lead over LaSalle before the Class 1A semifinal game was halted at 6:34 p.m. due to inclement weather in the top of the third inning Tuesday night in the state baseball tournament at McMurry Park.
The game will resume at 1 p.m. Friday on Field 37, said Hornets head coach Tyler Alton.
Grand Lake manufactured a run in the first with two outs. Eli Fountain walked, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a balk.
The Hornets added a second run in the third inning when Connor Guillote was hit by a pitch to start the inning. He stole second base and advanced to third on a Kade Massey single.
He scored when the LaSalle outfielder overran the ball, resulting in Hornets baserunner Fountain being caught in a rundown between second and third.
Fountain stretched the rundown long enough to allow Guillote to race home without a throw.
The game was delayed due to rain and lightning strikes immediately after Guillote scored. The Hornets had Massey on first with two outs in the inning.
Massey overcame a slow start on the pitcher’s mound. He hit a batter and walked another in the top of the first inning but escaped unharmed with two grounders and a pickoff.
He was perfect in both the second and third innings, striking out the last four batters he faced before the delay.
In the other 1A semifinal, top-seeded Oak Grove led No. 12 Slaughter Community Charter 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning when the game was suspended. The game will resume at 4 p.m. Friday on Field 37.
The state championship game was scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday but was moved to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Grand Lake’s Luke Primeaux applies the tag on LaSalle’s Joshua Jones during a rundown between second and third bases during a Class 1A semifinal Tuesday at the state tournament at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
Grand Lake’s Elijah Fountain is congratulated by Gavin Faulk after scoring against LaSalle during a semifinal game at the state baseball tournament Tuesday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.