Broncos ousted by Teurlings-Catholic in semifinals

The No. 18 Sam Houston Broncos seemed out of step from the beginning while the No. 11 Teurlings Catholic Rebels could do no wrong. Teurlings won 10-0 shutout of the Broncos on Friday at Louisiana Tech’s J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston in the Class 4A semifinals.

“They beat us and we lost,” said Broncos’ head coach Brad Book. “Tonight we lost by not putting ourselves in the situation to win the game and they beat us.”

Teurlings scored eight runs on just seven hits off Broncos’ starter Cody Rider (10-2) while adding another pair off Evan Powell in the sixth to end the game.

The Rebels (22-11-1) scored three unearned runs in the first inning with the help of three consecutive bunt plays and a Sam Houston error to take a commanding lead.

“It was huge for us,” said Teurlings head coach Michael Thibodeaux on manufacturing runs in the first inning. “We laid the bunts down when we saw an opportunity. We really just played straight up baseball. We got a runner on first and second and we followed it up with another bunt.”

Teurlings showed in the second inning that they could play power baseball when Adam Angelle cranked a two-run homerun to deep centerfield to put the Rebels up 6-0 just after two innings of play.

“We manufactured those runs in the first inning then we wondered if we could come around on Rider,” said Thibodeaux. “When Adam connected right there and it went to straight-away centerfield, that was a statement that we would be able to hit him.”

Angelle went 2-for-3 in the game with two RBI’s and three runs scored.

Teurlings added three more hits on Rider along with two more runs before Powell took the hill and quieted the Rebel bats for two innings.

Rider pitched just two and a third innings while allowing five earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout and a walk.

While the Teurlings bats were well alive, the Broncos were just trying to find a way to get on base. Rider broke the Rebels’ Steven Blanchard’s perfect game in the third when he drew a walk for the first Sam Houston base runner before Powell picked up the first Bronco hit in the fourth.

Sam Houston loaded the bases in the fourth inning with two outs, but Blanchard was able to get out of the jam and that’s when the bucket fell. Literally.

Just as the Broncos were taking the field in the bottom of the fourth, the umpires called the players off the field due to lightning and when the players nearly had the infield covered with a tarp, a rainstorm ensued causing a near 50 minute rain delay. The game was interrupted again by rain in the top of the sixth for another 30 delay.

Sam Houston again loaded the bases when play resumed with two outs, and again Blanchard got out of the jam with only his third strikeout of the night.

“I still can’t figure it out,” Book said on the Rebels’ pitcher. “He spotted it up well and threw strikes. He threw his change-up well but the curveball wasn’t that great. For him to go out there on three-days rest and to give up two hits tonight; I think that’s a gutsy performance by him. He did a great job.”

The Teurlings senior pitcher threw six innings while allowing two hits with three strikeouts and three walks.

Blanchard continued his dominance, this time at the plate ending the game with a two-run double for the 10-0 win.

Friday’s shutout was the first this season for the Broncos as they were held to just two hits while leaving a total of eight runners on base. Teurlings left a total of just two runners on.

“We scored seven runs twice so we thought we could make it a game,” Book said on the offense. “Their guys just did a good job. We kept hitting the inner half of the ball and hitting fly balls all over the ballpark.

“It was a terrible day for Bronco baseball.”