HIGH FIVE—Ponchatoula’s Laramie Pittman (20) and Derek Gaudin (10) congratulate one another after scoring on B.J. Welch’s two-run single in the bottom of the fourth. Welch and the Wave eased past Covington, 8-2 on Tuesday night to stay perfect in District 7-5A.

"We've got a lot of confidence at the plate," Ponchatoula coach Mark Gosnell said. "The guys are fighting to get to the bat rack right now."

That's what happens when you follow up a 16-run, 11-hit performance Saturday with another 11-hit assault in an 8-2 victory over Covington in District 7-5A action Tuesday night at Athletic Park.

"We're swinging it pretty good right now," admits Gosnell after the Green Wave (12-3, 2-0) maintained a share of first place and set the stage for a key road game at preseason favorite Mandeville Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, in District 9-2A, the St. Thomas Aquinas Falcons really went crazy at the plate, registering 11 extra base hits and clubbing three home runs in a 20-5 route at French Settlement. The game was called after the fifth inning.

"It's probably the best we have swung the bats in a long time," STA head coach John Legoria said. "We had 11 extra base hits. Now, that's hitting the ball pretty good."

In District 10-3A, a nine-run first inning helped Amite (5-6, 1-0) get past Albany for a 12-6 road victory in their league opener.

"It's nice to have that cushion and stuff because it's still high school baseball and you're going to have mistakes and stuff," Warriors head coach Jasper Bryant said. "It's always big to get that first one under your belt."

Meanwhile, rain forced Sumner (2-5) and Loranger (9-8) to push back the start of their District 10-3A opener. The two will makeup the game Monday at 6 p.m. in Loranger.

@Agate:<*Cz10>DISTRICT 7-5A

<*Jz9>Hammond at St. Paul's

<*Jz8> COVINGTON—

Ponchatoula 8, Covington 2

PONCHATOULA—B.J. Welch sparked the Green Wave by going 3-for-4 — reaching base all four times up — and driving in three runs.

"He's our team hitting leader and he's doing a nice job right now," Gosnell said. "He's gotten a lot of big two-out hits for us and he had two more tonight."

But he had plenty of help. Laramie Pittman was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and Derek Gaudin was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored, and he, too, reached base all four times up.

That helped ease the pressure on starter Rudy Townsend and reliever Regis Stephens. Townsend struggled early, giving up two walks, a hit batter and and RBI single to Hunter Anthony in the first inning. But he escaped without further damage.

"He just struggled with his control, but we played well defensively behind him and we did some damage control there in the first inning," Gosnell said. "They could have had three, four or five runs and we held them to one and that was important. After that he made some good pitches when he had to."

Indeed, Covington (10-5, 0-2) did not score again until the seventh. Stephens relieved Townsend in the fifth and gave up three hits and a walk, including Brady King's single and an RBI double by Jeffrey Joiner before getting the final out. Townsend and Stephens combined to limit the Lions to six hits.

But by then Ponchatoula was comfortably ahead. The Greenies tied it in the second when Stephens singled, Welch reached on an error and Jacob Griffin laced an RBI single. And they took the lead in the third when Pittman singled off Covington starter Stevie Sharp and scored two outs later on Welch's RBI single to make it 2-1.

A four-run fourth gave the Wave all the cushion it would need. Elisha Settoon was hit by a pitch, Seth Bratton's popped-up bunt fell for a hit and Laramie Pittman singled to load the bases. Gaudin's RBI single made it 3-1, Stephens walked with the sacks juiced for another score, and Welch capped the inning with a two-run single.

Ponchatoula's final runs came in the fifth when Settoon doubled and scored when Pittman's grounder was booted for an error. Gaudin later singled in Pittman to make it 8-1.

<*R>—Reported by John Lenz



<*Cz10>DISTRICT 10-3A

<*Jz9>Bogalusa at Independence, 6 p.m.

INDEPENDENCE—

Amite 12, Albany 6

ALBANY — Amite made Albany (3-13, 0-1) pay for walking hitters in the first inning, getting big hits to jump out to a 9-0 lead.

Albany responded in the bottom of the second inning, rallying to plate four runs before a play at the plate took away a would-be fifth Hornets run. Albany head coach Chad Goulas was ejected after arguing the call, but the Hornets cut the lead to 9-4 after two innings of play.

"It would've made it 9-5 with one out and runners at first and third," Goulas said. "We had one stolen from us, but we can't argue about it too much because we put ourselves in a 9-0 hole."

Amite picked up a run in the third to increase the lead to 10-4, but Albany cut the lead to 10-6 in the fifth before the Warriors added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth.

"We had a couple of big two-out hits, we had runners in scoring position and we got them in," Bryant said. "We struggled a little bit pitching. Albany's got a really scrappy team. They didn't give up."

Steve Mercier led Amite offensively, going 3-for-4 with a double and two singles while driving in two runs.

For Albany, Shane Denney went 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI while Chad Dickerson went 1-for-3 with a single and an RBI. Tom Stewart went 1-for-4 with a double and one run batted in.

The Hornets travel to Independence Thursday while the Warriors entertain Loranger.

<*Rz7>—Reported by Fred Batiste

<*Cz10>DISTRICT 9-2A

<*Jz9>St. Thomas Aq. 20, French Settlement 5

FRENCH SETTLEMENT—The Falcons improved to 11-6 overall with the lopsided win in the district opener.

Trey Marino, Ryan Downing, Russell Pellichino and Blake Brooks swung a hit stick, combining to go 10-for-12. Downing fell a single shy of the cycle, while Marino and Brooks each clubbed home runs and combined for 11 RBI. Pellichino was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored.

STA starting pitcher Cody Durham took the win in four innings of work. He struggled some at times with control, walking seven batters, but still managed to surrender just three hits while striking out one.

"He didn't have his best stuff," Legoria said of Durham. "But if we keep hitting like that we don't have to pitch very well."

St. Helena at Springfield, 6 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD—

Tony Salim

<*Cz10>DISTRICT 9-B

<*Jz9>Hosanna at Holden, 4 p.m.

HOLDEN—

<*Jz9>Houma Christian at Maurepas, 4 p.m.

MAUREPAS—