Baseball: Mike Robertson Memorial Tournament, Jay Patterson Shootout get underway

If it’s the weekend of the early part of the Louisiana high school baseball season, the schedule is dotted with tournament action across the state, and two of the biggest events are in southeast Louisiana.

John Curtis’ annual Mike Robertson Memorial Tournament, which honors the memory of the former Patriot teacher and coach who spent four decades on the River Ridge campus, began Thursday and continues through Saturday.

At Mike Miley Stadium, the host Patriots knocked off E.D. White 8-2 in the second game of the day. Michael O’Brien had a pair of doubles as part of a 3-for-3 evening. Austin Ackel struck out six and allowed one earned run in five innings of work as the Patriots (5-4-1) continue to excel with pitching and defense, having allowed a total of eight runs in their last six games.

It was an opening-day split for the Cardinals from Thibodaux, who edged Holy Cross 6-5 in the first game.

Archbishop Rummel was the biggest opening-day winner, defeating East St. John 11-1 at Chalmette.

In other tournament action, St. Augustine rallied late to snap an eight-game losing streak by edging Newman 2-1.

In a very well-pitched game, the Greenies plated a run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Alexander Groome.

The Purple Knights (2-10) staged the winning rally in their final at-bat, scoring twice in the top of the seventh on RBI singles by Ladavion Walls and Kenyon Hughes.

Walls picked up the win, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing a run on seven hits. Walls walked three and struck out five. Aiden Castillo came on, walked one and allowed a hit but got the final out to pick up the save.

Tucker Joseph took the loss for Newman, going the distance and allowing two runs on six hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. The Greenies (4-7) lost their fourth straight game.

St. Charles Catholic defeated Chalmette 7-1.

Friday’s schedule features East St. John playing a pair at Miley, against St. Aug at 4 p.m. and Curtis at 6:30. E.D. White plays Newman at 6 p.m. at Avenger, while St. Charles Catholic visits Holy Cross at 6:30 and Rummel heads back to Chalmette to meet the Owls at 7. Saturday’s schedule will feature four games, all at Miley.

The annual Jay Patterson Shootout opened Thursday with no fewer than six area teams in the event that takes place across Ascension Parish.

In the one head-to-head matchup of area teams Thursday, Hahnville edged Mandeville 2-1. The Tigers (8-3) are now 5-0 this season in games decided by one or two runs.

Elsewhere in the event, Slidell took down the hosts from East Ascension 6-2, Dutchtown rallied from an early three-run deficit to defeat Northshore 4-3 and St. Amant was a 12-2 winner over Archbishop Shaw.

The sixth area team in the field, Brother Martin, was off Thursday but opens tournament play on Friday with a doubleheader against Northshore and East Ascension.

Area Baseball Scoreboard for Thursday, March 9
Archbishop Rummel 11, East St. John 1
Barbe 13, Destrehan 0
Central Catholic 10, Central Lafourche 0
Covenant Christian 8, H.L. Bourgeois 0
De La Salle 16, Salmen 1
Dutchtown 4, Northshore 3
E.D. White 6, Holy Cross 5
Evangel Christian 9, Vandebilt Catholic 2
Fontainebleau 11, Albany 3
French Settlement 19, Bogalusa 7
Hahnville 2, Mandeville 1
John Curtis Christian 8, E.D. White 2
John Ehret 15, Helen Cox 4
Morgan City 2, Houma Christian 0
Pearl River 3, Walker 1
Riverdale 20, Bonnabel 3
St. Amant 12, Archbishop Shaw 2
St. Augustine 2, Newman 1
St. Charles Catholic 7, Chalmette 1
Scotlandville 5, Edna Karr 2
Slidell 6, East Ascension 2
South Terrebonne 5, Berwick 2
Terrebonne 8, Catholic-NI 4
Thibodaux 5, Pope John Paul II 1
The Willow School 14, St. James 6