Denham's Rayne Minor slams into the fence in an attempt to make a catch on on Thursday.
Denham's Zoie Sedberry first baseman looks for the next play after recording an out vs. Zachary on Thursday.
Denham's Paige Luquette takes a swing against Zachary on Thursday.
Denham's Karlie Galloway (18) swings at a pitch vs. Zachary.
Denham's Allison Irby (11) sends the ball over home plate vs. Zachary.
Denham's Allison Irby hits a foul ball towards right field against Zachary on Thursday.
Denham catcher Karlie Galloway (18) snags a pitch as a Zachary player swings and misses on Thursday.
DSHS pitcher Allison Irby winds up for the pitch vs. Zachary on Thursday.
Denham Springs High coach Leslie Yellott signals to her players at Zachary on Thursday.
Denham's Kaitlyn Friedman prepares to throw the ball across the diamond Thursday against Zachary.
Denham's Paige Luquette (25) charges the ball on a bunt against Zachary on Thursday.
ZACHARY -- For one night, Leslie Yellott’s old team was just a little better than her new one.
After clawing back from a six-run deficit, Denham Springs High was undone in the end by Carsyn Martel’s game-winning RBI single that capped off a thrilling 11-10 Zachary win against its former coach on Thursday.
The Lady Jackets (5-6, 0-1 District 4-5A) overcame an early 6-0 deficit during a game-changing 4th inning, scoring seven runs off four hits while also benefitting from two Zachary errors.
The Lady Broncos (6-5, 1-0) responded with four runs in the 5th and 6th innings, three of those courtesy of Michaela McHugh’s bases-clearing three-run triple, to grab a 10-7 lead heading into the final frame.
Desperately hoping to win for their coach in her first game against her former team, the Lady Jackets tied things up thanks to Zoie Sedberry’s RBI single and a two-run blast from Karlie Galloway, who sent an 0-1 offering over the center-field fence to tie the score 10-10. All those runs came with two outs.
“Karlie Galloway came in and saved the day again with that home run,” DSHS outfielder Rayne Minor said. “It was so great. We were already pumped up, but that really pumped us up.”
Despite tying the game, Denham left more three more runs on the table when infielder Kaitlyn Friedman struck out with the bases loaded to end the inning.
After getting chased following a five-run 2nd inning, Allison Irby returned to the circle hoping to send the game into extra innings. That didn’t happen.
Irby gave up a leadoff double to Carlie Schenk and a single to Ashley Lopez before walking Abriane Parker to load the bases for leadoff hitter Carsyn Martel. Martel didn’t waste any time, smacking a single on the first pitch she saw to drive in Schenk to seal the thrilling win.
As frustrated as she was with the Lady Jackets’ second consecutive loss, Yellott couldn’t help but throw praise on her former team, one that she led to the 5A state title game last season.
“Zachary played very well,” Yellott said. “They really did. I’m proud of those kids because most of them are my babies. I’m proud of them because they fought. They didn’t play scared.”
Despite rallying back from a huge deficit, Denham hurt itself with five costly errors that led to six unearned runs.
“We need clutch plays,” Minor said. “We usually make our errors in the worst times, but that can be fixed. That wasn’t our best game. We wanted to win so badly, so we were rushing everything in our heads and trying to throw the ball instead of thinking. We were trying to make the play before we fielded the ball.”
Denham will have to correct those miscues if it is to improve on last season’s 1-7 finish in District 4-5A play.
But before they return to league action against Walker on Tuesday, the Lady Jackets will square off in the St. Amant Invitational this weekend, beginning Friday against Covington at 3:30 p.m. at Butch Gore Park.
ZACHARY 11, DSHS 10
DSHS 000 700 3 -- 10 8 5
Zachary 051 013 1 -- 11 13 3
Allison Irby, Melody Lienemann (3), Lakin Fletcher (6), Irby (7) and Karlie Galloway; Carlie Schenk, Ashley Lopez (4) and Stephanie Tynes. W – Lopez. L -- Irby (5-5). 2B: Zachary – Alyssa Wittig, Schenk. 3B: DSHS – Lienemann; Zachary – Michaela McHugh. HR: DSHS – Galloway; Zachary – McHugh. Records: DSHS 5-5, 0-1 District 4-5A; Zachary 6-5, 1-0. Up next: St. Amant Invitational – DSHS vs. Covington, 3:30 p.m. Friday (Butch Gore Park).
