NWLA Weekly Notebook Presented By Southern Classic Chicken • May 17
by Lee Hiller // Northwest Louisiana High School Correspondent
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Byrd finishes as Division I Baseball State Runners-up
Byrd fell just short of its first baseball state title in 65 years in the Division I finals to Jesuit 6-1 Saturday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
The top-seeded Yellow Jackets were limited to four hits by Blue Jay Ryan Porche who walked one and struck out four.
Mason Langdon drove in Byrd’s only run with a seventh inning double to score Jack Walker who was on with his second double of the game. The Jackets other hit was also a double by Slade Netterville.
Evan Adcock started the game for Byrd and absorbed the loss although he matched Porche through five innings allowing just one run (second inning). He ended the day with 5 1/3 innings, allowing six hits, two runs, one earned two walks, and one strikeout.
The Jays broke the game open in the sixth with five runs, four coming on catcher Zack Casebonne’s grand slam.
Byrd entered the game with a 26-7 record after defeating Catholic-Baton Rouge 4-2 in the semifinals.
The Yellow Jackets fell behind 2-0 after the Bears scored their only runs in the third inning.
Byrd cut the lead to a run with one in the fourth inning on a one-out Jack Walker double to left field that scored Jason Little.
A two-out rally in the sixth by Byrd put Byrd ahead for good. Netterville started it with a one-out single. After a fly out by Walker, Langdon doubled in Netterville to tie the game 2-2. Cole Joyner followed with a double that scored courtesy runner L. Lambert to give Byrd the lead. A Jon Michael Jennings’ single brought home the final run of the game and give Byrd a 4-2 lead.
Langdon got the win pitching the final three innings, allowing no runs on three hits, walked one and struck out two. Sawyer Lacoste went the first four innings allowing just three hits, two runs, both earned, walked three and struck out five.
Walker and Langdon both had a pair of hits and both had doubles along with Joyner.
Calvary falls in Division IV semifinals
Calvary pitcher Jackson Legg took a no-hitter and 2-0 lead into the seventh inning but Opelousas Catholic scored three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth for a 4-3 win in the Division IV baseball semifinals at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
Legg exited the mound after Opelousas Catholic got a double by pitcher Bryce Rozas to start the seventh. Kyzer Smith came on and recorded a strikeout but a passed ball third strike allowed the runner to reach first and Rozas to move up to third. A sacrifice fly scored Rozas for the Viking’s first run and first out. Following a strikeout the seventh-seed Vikings got a single and double to take a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the seventh.
The Cavaliers tied the game with a Fisher Nance sacrifice fly to force an extra inning. But Opelousas scored on a wild pitch in the eighth for the game-winner.
Jeremiah Brown scored all three of Calvary’s runs with a hit and two walks. Nance and Legg had the only RBIs for the Cavs who finished the season 26-8.
North Caddo girls basketball coach Williams takes BPCC job
North Caddo girls basketball coach Stephanie Williams was named the interim head women’s basketball coach at Bossier Parish Community College.
Williams takes over for Brenda Welch Nichols who stepped down after leading the Cavalier program the past three seasons.
The 33-year-old Williams, a Katy, Texas native, spent two seasons at North Caddo after spending three years at The Brook Hill School in Bullard, Texas. She began her coaching career in 2009-10 as a student assistant at East Texas Baptist University. She was elevated to a full-time assistant position in 2012 and held various positions before taking the head coaching position at The Brook Hill in 2017.
Calvary’s Lyddy commits to Louisiana Tech
Calvary Baptist quarterback Landry Lyddy announced on his twitter feed he has committed to play football at Louisiana Tech.
Lyddy, who is a part of the 2022 class, led the Cavaliers to the Division IV state championship. The junior rising star finished with 3,566 yards passing with 43 touchdowns and only three interceptions, completing 66 percent of his passes.