Neither team got anything going in the first inning but four errors in the top of the second changed everything, as the No. 7 Kaplan Pirates ended the Westlake Rams’ season on Tuesday 9-3 in the regional round of the Class 3A playoffs in Westlake.
With the scored tied 0-0, the Rams got two quick outs to start the top of the fifth but ran into trouble. Westlake committed four consecutive errors with the final one coming with the bases loaded allowing D.J. Faulk to score,
Although it was just one run and the Pirates (29-5) went on to score six runs over the next two innings, the top of the second inning changed the momentum away from the upset minded Rams who had already upset district rival and No. 10 St. Louis in the first round.
“It kind of set the tone,” Westlake head coach Shane Boudreaux said of the second inning. “Any time you make four errors in a row it kind of deflates you in the dugout even.
“It is hard to come back from that. It is like what I was telling Coach Morvant there is a real good chance that you are not going to be real successful if you have more errors than hits.”
The Rams looked like they would get out of the top of the third inning with out giving up any runs but with two outs, Tony Frederick hit a single followed by a three run moon shot over left center field by D.J. Faullk to make it 4-0 Kaplan.
No. 23 Westlake (11-14) had the same situation in the fourth inning and again Kaplan came up with a monster hit with two outs as Jacob Frederick sent a three-run home run low over left-center field for his 10th homerun of the season.
After just one hit through the first three innings, the Rams started to make contact in the bottom of the fourth.
Blake Hollier led off with a single to right field and three batters later, Richie Bagley hit a single to left-center field to score Hollier for the Rams first run of the game.
Westlake went on two score two runs in the fifth on a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly by Garrett Tunks but could not consistently string hits together.
“We would get a hit and hit a ball right at someone but that is baseball,” Boudreaux said. “Sometimes they are going to fall and sometimes they are not going to fall.
“You have to find a way to over come that and scored some runs and they did a better job of that than us.”
D.J. Faulk led Kaplan at the plate going 2-for-4 with a three run homer while Jake Faulk was 2-for-4. Jacob Frederick went 1-for-3 with a three run homer.
Trent Whitley took the loss for the Rams. He pitched three and two-thirds innings while allowing seven runs on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Chris Daily relieved Whitley with two outs in the top of the fourth and finished the game for Westlake. Daily allowed two unearned runs on five hits with two walks.
Jacob and Tony Frederick combined to hold Westlake to three runs on four hits. Jacob Frederick took the win for the Pirates.
Tuesday was the final game for Ram seniors Chris Daily, Blake Hollier, Trent Whitley, Garrett Tunks, Josh Fontenot, Scotty Foy, Ryan Thomason, Phillip Matte and Jerell Clark.
“I was very pleased with this senior class got a chance to play in the postseason and a chance to play in the second round. I am very proud of the guys,” Boudreaux said. “We played very a tough schedule all year and lost to some quality teams like Sam Houston, Sulphur, Airline and DeRidder.
“A lot of teams would have folded but these guys are a veteran bunch and found a way to get in (to the playoffs).”
Kaplan will play No. 2 St. Charles next week in the quarterfinal round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Note: All nine of Kaplan’s runs were scored with two outs.
Westlake, La. —
