Dennies, Rivera pace Rummel to Division I baseball title game with 4-3 win over top-seeded Catholic-Baton Rouge

Rummel is headed to the Division I State Championship after their 4-3 win over Catholic High! pic.twitter.com/7hQe0ecWSh

— LHSAA (@LHSAA) May 12, 2019

Getting hot at the right time. It’s the mantra of all teams in all sports at all levels.

For Archbishop Rummel, the Raiders have personified that concept in 2019.

The fourth-seeded Raiders are as hot as the scarlet red color of their jerseys Sunday. Rummel held off a late rally by No. 1 Catholic of Baton Rouge 4-3 in the Division I semifinals at McMurry Park in Sulphur.

The win was the seventh straight for the Raiders, and it was the story of juniors Kade Rivera and Jackson Dennies.

It is common for the combination of football and baseball players on the high school level. It is far less common, in fact rare, for a basketball player to jump right into baseball and have success.

Someone forgot to tell Rivera.

After earning all-district honors for the Raider basketball team, Rivera was late to the baseball party but Rummel coach Nick Monica is very pleased that Rivera joined in.

The junior designated hitter singled, doubled and drove in three runs in support of the outstanding pitching of junior Jackson Dennies.

As a freshman football player, Dennies tore all three ligaments in his knee, a devastating injury which ended his football career and cost him his sophomore season in baseball. He worked diligently to return. To say that Dennies is back would be an understatement.

Dennies carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning and survived a seventh inning rally by the Bears to win his ninth game of the season.

Rummel (22-12) jumped on top as Lance Johnson started the game with an infield hit and moved up to second and third on a pair of passed balls against Bears starter Nicholas Judice. Johnson scored on a single by Rivera to make it 1-0.

Rivera came up big again in the top of the second inning as Rummel expanded its lead to 3-0. Logan Bertucci singled with one out and Johnson walked. With two outs, Rivera doubled to deep center, scoring both runners.

In the top of the fifth, Kyle Walker singled and scored when Chandler Fields produced an infield single on a hit-and-run with a throwing error scoring Walker to make it 4-0 with Fields advancing to second. Dennies was hit by a pitch.

Matthew Lee finally got the first hit against Dennies with a single to left to start the bottom of the sixth for the first Catholic hit of the game. Zach Ordeneaux walked but Dennies pitched out of the jam. It was the first time in the game that Catholic had two runners on in the same inning.

The Bears (26-11) finally solved Dennies in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back singles by Hebert and Kason Cullins before Dennies recorded a pair of strikeouts. Lee then walked to load the bases. Addison Ainsworth then singled home Hebert to make it 4-1. Ordeneaux then singled home two runs to make it 4-3 but with the tying and winning runs on base, Dennies got Mason Zambo to groundout to Bertucci at first base to end it.

Judice, a senior and ULM commit, went four innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out five. Senior Brock Perry took over in the fifth inning, allowing one run on three hits.

Dennies allowed three runs on five hits. He walked three and struck out five, using 117 pitches to pick up the win.

The Raiders are back in a state championship game for the first time since 2012 and advance to face the winner of No. 2 Brother Martin and No. 3 St. Paul’s Tuesday at 3 p.m. at McMurry Park as Rummel will be in search of its sixth state title.

Our Raider Baseball team defeats Catholic High in the Division 1 Semifinals 4-3 today, and now we are headed to the LHSAA State Championship this week.

What a way to celebrate this Mother’s Day!

Way to go, Raiders! @rummelbaseball #WeAreProudOfYou pic.twitter.com/E7o01qjkGM

— Archbishop Rummel HS (@ArchRUMMEL) May 12, 2019

Final
RUM 120 010 0 — 4 8 0
CHS 000 000 3 — 3 5 2
WP—Jackson Dennies (9-1)
LP—Nicholas Judice (5-4)
Time of Game: 2:17
2B—Kade Rivera