MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / May 3, 2000

ALEXANDRIA – With Lutcher trailing Parkview Baptist 1-0 heading into the fifth inning in the quarterfinals at the LHSAA softball tournament Friday evening, Lutcher athletic director Tim Detillier told the team that it would tie the game that inning and win it in the sixth.

He would be right about tying it in the fifth but was one inning off on the win.

Tiffany Arceneaux doubled in Michelle Roussel with one out in the bottom of the seventh, giving the Lady Bulldogs a 2-1 victory. The win advanced theLady Bulldogs (21-11) to the semifinals against Teurlings Catholic Saturday afternoon. Parkview Baptist finished at 24-5-3.Roussel led off the seventh with a strike out against Parkview starter Crista Miller but reached as the ball bounced away from catcher Kelli Evins. HeatherMorgan followed with a grounder between first and second. Second basemanMisty Beard got to the ball but could not handle it, putting runners at first and second with none out.

Miller struck out Breeze Vicknair for the first out, bringing up Arceneaux.

After taking the first pitch for a ball, Arceneaux lined a waist-high inside pitch into left-center field. Roussel scored easily from second for thewinning run.

“I said, ‘oh my gosh, she’s (Lutcher coach Helen Funk) is waving me in,'” Roussel said. “I didn’t hear or see anything. I just knew that we had won.”Carlie Humphries (21-5) picked up the win, giving up one run on three hits and one walk while striking out three. Miller took the loss, allowing two runs onfive hits while striking out 12.

“First, I want to congratulate Parkview and Crista,” Funk said. “She was anexcellent pitcher. It was a well-fought game. It was a dogfight.”I told the girls before the seventh inning, all the running they did and the weightlifting, this was what it was all about. They rose to the occasion. I toldthem they had nothing to lose and everything to gain and to just leave everything on the field. This was a great victory for the girls, their familiesand the town of Lutcher.

Parkview took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Evans led off the inning witha walk and was sacrificed to second by Sarah Herrod. Danielle Ringo thenreached on a fielder’s choice and both runners were sacrificed along by Beard. Miller followed with a single to center. Evins scored but Ringo wasthrown out at the plate by Toni Riley.

Parkview threatened again in the top of the fifth. Carolyn Allen led off with asingle to right and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Evins struckout, Herrod grounded to short. Roussel’s throw sailed over first basemanAmber Boe’s head, allowing Herrod to reach. Allen tried to score from secondbut Boe chased down the ball along the fence and threw home with Arceneaux applying the tag for the second out. Ringo followed with a single to short butHumphries got Beard to ground out to Roussel to keep the deficit at one.

Miller, who had retired 11 straight batters after allowing a one-out single to Boe in the first, opened the fifth by giving up a single to center by Vicknair.

Arceneaux then sacrificed her to second. After Humphries struck out,Lindsey Louque dropped a single to right in front of Herrod with Vicknair racing home with the tying run.

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