Walker's Laynie Jones gets set to hack at a pitch vs. Live Oak.
Live Oak pitcher Lindsey Rizzo fires a pitch toward the plate vs. Walker.
Walker pitcher Haleigh Porciau delivers a pitch vs. Live Oak on Thursday.
Live Oak's Brett Leiva batted .402 with 7 homers and 31 RBIs, earning first team All-District and All-Parish honors last season.
Live Oak teammates meet Brett Leiva at home plate on Thursday.
Walker third baseman Alayna Adams fires a throw across the diamond vs. Live Oak on Thursday.
WATSON -- Live Oak and Walker simply saved their best innings for last.
After falling into a four-run deficit in the top of the 7th inning, the Lady Eagles scored five runs on five hits, the last of which was a triple by pitcher Lindsey Rizzo to clear the bases and score the winning run in an 8-7 victory Thursday.
“We showed nice composure to come back,” Live Oak coach Michelle Morris said. “We just did our job a little bit at a time and inch by inch. I really think they did well at the end, just clawing their way back in.”
There were six lead changes and 10 combined runs scored in the last two innings.
Walker scored two runs in the 6th to take its final lead at 4-3 and added three runs in the top half of the 7th to pull away 7-3.
The Eagles (11-11) did not blink and threw a frenzy at the Lady Cats (8-14) in their final chance
“The errors don’t overcome us, we overcome them,” Eagles catcher Brett Leiva said. “We always battle back no matter what.”
Leiva fell a triple short of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with a single, a double, and two-run home run, all of which came in crucial moments -- her leadoff double in the 4th eventually became Live Oak’s first run to tie the game, her home run in the 5th gave the Eagles their first lead, and her leadoff single in the 7th ignited the furious rally.
“She went up there calm and knew she had a job to do,” Morris said. “She executed.”
In the face of the loss, the Lady Cats were almost as upbeat as the Lady Eagles after breaking from their post-game huddle.
“I think we played our game today,” Walker coach Hali Westmoreland Fletcher said. “We executed at the plate and made the plays on defense until the 7th. (Live Oak) hit the ball well in the 7th, but I think our girls played well today … I think we executed tonight, but it didn’t come out in our favor.”
Walker’s loss, comes on the heels of a Tuesday effort in which the Lady Cats hung with the defending Class 5A state champion Central late into the game.
“I feel like we’ve progressed over the season,” Walker pitcher and leading hitter Haleigh Pourciau said. “Everyone wants to be here and they love playing for Walker.”
Pourciau went 3-for-3 with two singles and a solo home run. In the 6th she was intentionally walked with a runner in scoring position with two outs. In hindsight, that may have ended up being the difference between a walk-off win and an extra-inning contest.
After leaving the bases loaded in the 1st inning, Walker scored in the 3rd on a one-out double from Laynie Jones and an RBI a single from Pourciau.
Live Oak got a run in 4th after a leadoff double by Leiva set the table for the Eagles. A groundout moved her to third, and she scored on Madi Sunde’s infield single.
Pourciau led off the 5th inning with a solo shot to dead center field to put the Lady Cats back ahead after briefly being tied.
“Usually when I go up to bat I can feel this type of energy,” Pourciau said. “I just knew it was going to be a home run. I walked to the plate and coach asked me if I felt that energy and I said, ‘Heck yeah, I feel this energy’. I knew it was going to go over, all I needed was a certain pitch.”
Live Oak took its first lead of the game in the bottom half of the inning after Katie VanDer Mark reached on an error at second base. Leiva followed with a home run that just had enough distance, putting Live Oak ahead 3-2.
“We had runners on, and I wasn’t thinking about hitting a home run,” Leiva said. “I was thinking about getting a base hit and scoring the runs because we needed to get those runs back. I knew she was pitching outside and I was going with the pitch. I was not going to let her beat me. I just hit it and made good contact.”
Live Oak’s lead was short-lived as Savannah Stafford led off the top of the 6th with a double into the left field corner. An attempt to get her out at third base on Jalynn Gilmore’s bunt attempt failed. Two straight groundouts to first moved the runners to tie the game at 3-3. The Lady Cats regained the lead when Laynie Jones’ would-be inning ending ground ball to short was thrown wide of first base, allowing Gilmore to score.
The Lady Cats added to their tally in the 7th after a leadoff infield single from Kailey Chachere and an error allowed Brennan Jones to reach base and set up Stafford’s infield single for an RBI. Jones scored on Gilmore’s groundout, and Kassey Guidry’s double scored Stafford to push Walker’s lead to at 7-3.
“Today we showed up with confidence,” Westmoreland Fletcher said. “We showed up ready to play. That’s what we preach to them all the time -- have confidence, show up ready to play, and execute. That’s all you can do.”
“We know we gave it our all,” Guidry said. “I don’t think we can be down on ourselves. We gave it our all.”
After her double and home run, there probably wasn’t anybody Morris wanted at the plate more than Leiva, and the junior delivered with a leadoff single to start the inning.
“I was just thinking about getting a base hit at the time,” Leiva said. “That’s what would have helped us the most at the time -- a base hit from each of us. I didn’t think too big, and that’s what happened.”
Aubrey Rabalais and Robin Capps followed with consecutive singles, with Capps’ scoring Leiva.
Madi Sunde was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Chloe Nolan, who grounded into a fielder’s choice that resulted in Sunde being tagged out but scored Rabalais to cut the deficit in half.
Emma Hunt legged out an infield single to load the bases for a third time in the inning and become the winning run for Rizzo, who placed a hit in the gap between left and center field. No Lady Cat could make a good angle on the ball and Rizzo ended up at third standing up moments after the game-winning run in Hunt crossed home plate.
“I told them before the inning, all I wanted them to hit was a single, a single, a single,” Morris said. “A single can do your job. We are decent base runners normally. If we can just poke it in, then we can find a gap and make things happen.”
Live Oak is also hoping the rally can become a turning point for the team.
“I believe that is can (turn the season around),” Leiva said. “I believe that little spark can ignite the rest of our season. Our team can be great, but this can push us a little more.”
LIVE OAK 8, WALKER 7
Walker 001 012 3 -- 7 10 1
Live Oak 000 120 5 -- 8 15 3
Haleigh Pourciau and Alayna Adams; Lindsey Rizzo and Brett Leiva. W – Rizzo. L -- Pourciau. 2B: Walker – Laynie Jones, Savannah Stafford, Kassey Guidry; Live Oak – Chloe Nolan, Leiva. 3B: Live Oak – Rizzo. HR: Walker – Pourciau; Live Oak: Leiva. Records: Walker 8-14, 2-2 District 4-5A; Live Oak 11-11, 2-2. Up next: Live Oak Tournament – Destrehan at Live Oak, 7 p.m. Friday; Walker at St. Joseph’s Academy, 5 p.m. Monday.
