By Richard Weaver

Special to L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS – Mitch Sewald tossed a complete-game effort and both Spencer Veit and Tyler Hannan posted two hits each as 10th-seeded Archbishop Rummel defeated No. 15 seed Hahnville, 4-2, in the 2012 LHSAA 5A Baseball Quarterfinals on Friday evening at Tulane University’s Greer Field at Turchin Stadium.

Sewald gave up just a pair of runs on three hits and a pair of walks while striking out six. He got better as the game went along, facing just one more than the minimum over the final three innings.

With the win, Rummel improved to 25-10 on the year and advanced to the 5A state semifinals Saturday. Rummel fell to Barbe, the eventual Class 5A state champion. Hahnville, meanwhile, concluded the 2012 season with a 25-13 record.

The Raiders wasted little time getting on the board as centerfielder Scott Hale opened the home half of the first with a leadoff walk, advanced the bases on a sacrifice bunt and a deep fly ball to left before scoring on two-out single off the bat of Veit. After a scoreless second, the Rummel offense gave Sewald all the breathing room he would need.

Following a leadoff double by third baseman Zachary Schmidt and a single by shortstop Raymond Veit, first baseman Justin Sinibaldi made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left. Spencer Veit followed with an RBI-double to chase Hahnville starter Jake Cologne from the game, and Hannan capped the four-run frame with an RBI-single to center.

Hahnville cut the deficit in half in the fourth on a run-scoring fielders’ choice grounder off the bat of Tyler Lamers and a sacrifice fly by second baseman Easton Melancon, but that would be as close as the Tigers would get.

Cologne was tagged with the loss after giving up four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out a pair in 2.1 innings of work. Tyler Simmons gave up just a single and struck out one in two-thirds of a stanza, and Lamers allowed a walk while fanning three over the final 3.0 frames.