After a tumultuous year for the Cavaliers, the baseball season finished with more hardware for the Calvary trophy case. The baseball team started the season with the loss of one of their own in Lane Mangum. The Cavaliers honored their teammate throughout the emotional year by retiring #16 and wearing his number on their hats. Calvary also played one of the toughest non-district schedules and faced a 10-10record before district play began. A sweep through the district was not in the cards. The Cavs grabbed the No. 5 seed for the playoffs, the lowest since 2018. The seeding was good for the Cavaliers. The Cavs swept the twelve seed 2-0 over the St. Edmund Blue Jays. A road trip for the second round to Catholic-Pointe Coupee saw a grueling three-game series in a hostile environment which they overcame. A homestand in the semifinals saw a nine-run lead evaporate and end bizarrely. How to end the season but with a matchup with cross-state rival Ouachita Christian. The Cavaliers know how to bring the drama. Up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Three out were all that was needed to take the title back to Shreveport. Ouachita Christian did not get that message. A 3-run bottom of the seventh sent the championship game to extra innings at 4-4. Calvary blasted 8 runs off three OCS pitchers in the eighth inning to close out the win. Dramatically, a double play to capture the title. How sweet was the mound pound at the end of this emotional year for the Cavaliers?
Caden Flowers hit 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs. Blayne McFerren also hit 3 for 4 and an RBI. Logan Fontenot was 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs. Cody VanNoppen went 2 for 4 with an RBI. Cade Bedgood batted 2 for 5 with an RBI. Kyzer Smith hit a single for an RBI. Aubrey Hermes, Jackson Legg, and Blaine Rogers all added singles.
MVP Landon Fontenot pitched 6 1/3 and gave up 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Cody VanNoppen pitched 2/3 innings with 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 walks, and a strikeout. Kyzer Smith closed out pitching 1 inning and gave up 1 hit.
A detailed account of the game Is not sufficient to say what this team accomplished through the adversity, heartache, and injury pushed this team through. I’m actually as the writer not going to have the last say. It’s almost like the Cavalier had a 10th man on the field. I’ll sum this up with a quote from the Calvary Baseball page on the post announcing their state championship. My last words will be Congratulations Cavaliers on your state championship and if you 1 + 6, it doesn’t add up to a lucky seven but a piece of each player’s heart that brought Lane along for the championship ride.
Quote from Calvary Baseball Facebook page
“Many more posts to come on an unbelievable journey, but I’m not much for coincidences and we played this season through heartache, adversity, and injury. One thing rang true on the daily #P4L [Play for Lane]. And if this doesn’t give you chills you ain’t living. We won the State Championship 12-4. Yep, that’s 16. We had 16 hits. We scored 8 in the 8th. If you know….you know. Love you, Lane, I know the boys put on a show for you and you had a front row seat. #P4L “
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