Just one week ago Quitman was ranked #9 in the Division V rankings among “non-select” schools. After one of the most impressive individual and team performances that you would ever want to witness, the Lady Wolverines are now the #1 team in the state, accumulating mind boggling stats along the way.
Quitman 19 Anacoco 8 (Saturday) Down 4-1 and 7-2 after just 2 ½ innings of play, the vaunted Quitman attack exploded for 17 runs in their next four at-bats to win their fourth game in two days at the Smoothie King Invitational, hosted by Quitman and played at the Parks and Recreation Sports Complex in Ruston. The victory for the new #1 ranked team in Division V among non-select schools was the 10th in a row and improved QHS to 11 -4 this season. Anacoco fell to 5-4 on the year.
Other than the 9-7 victory over Class 5A Airline that started the impressive run of success, Quitman had received stellar pitching with the dynamic duo of Cali Deal and Maggie Guyotte firing three shutouts, giving up one run twice and never more than three runs.
On the strength of two home runs by All-Stater, Hanna Jackson, Anacoco flipped the script by piling up 8 runs in four innings. To put it into perspective that is more runs than Quitman had given up in the previous 33 innings combined over five games.
The Lady Wolverines can beat you in a myriad of ways though so when Deal, who had entered the contest with a 1.20 ERA got roughed up the Quitman offense rose to the challenge. No, make that sky-rocketed! Needing to pick up the slack Quitman scored three more runs in four innings than they have in any game this year to set a new season best in scoring.
As has been the case in virtually every game during the winning streak, Maggie Guyotte led the charge offensively. Coming into the contest, “Going, Going, Gone” Guyotte had homered in four straight games. Not only did she extend the streak to five, but she also put the proverbial icing on the cake by smashing a pair of dingers to give her six in five games and increase her season total to 11 in just 15 contests.
The premier power threat in north Louisiana, which according to MaxPreps.com has the second-highest total of home runs in the entire state, was not the only one to take center stage. The QHS offense had as many stars shining brightly as a clear night in the country.
Cali Deal, who got the win despite the off night to improve her record this season to 7-0 with two saves in nine appearances, stroked her 6th home run of the season, added a triple, and scored a team-best four times.
Hallie Kate Pullig, who has proved to be one of the, if not the, most dangerous 7th grader in the state also had a big game blasting her fourth “tater” of the year, knocking in four runs, scoring three and swiping a pair of bases for added measure.
Karley Huckaby went 3 for 4, scored three runs, and had an RBI. Madeline Vail got two hits including a double, knocked in three, and scored a run and Maddie Kaye “Big Bopper” Brymer got a pair of hits, walked, and scored twice. Skylar Hall, who had only one official at-bat, scored two runs and stole a base after walking three times. Madison Chaplin chipped in with a triple, scored a run, and had an RBI and Averi Williams crossed home as every Quitman batter scored at least one run.
Anacoco (5-4) 4 0 3 1 0 0 -8 7 4
Quitman (11-4) 1 1 4 3 3 7 – 19 14 3
WP – Deal (7-0), LP – Rodriguez
2B – Vail
3B – Chaplin, Deal
HR – Guyotte 2, Deal, Pullig
RBI – Pullig 4, Guyotte 3, Vail 3, Chaplin, Deal, Huckaby
RS – Deal 4, Huckaby 3, Pullig 3, Guyotte 2, Brymer 2, Hall 2, Chaplin, Vail, Williams
SB – Pullig 2, Hall
Quitman 5 Bell City 3 (Saturday) The four runs Quitman scored in the bottom of the first was all that was needed to take down the previous top-ranked team in Division V among non-select schools. By virtue of their ninth straight win and third in a row at the Smoothie King Invitational, the Lady Wolverines climbed to the catbird seat, completing their ascension from the #9 spot they held a week ago.
Maggie Guyotte continued to add to one of the best all-around statistical weeks a player could accumulate by smacking a home run in her fourth straight game and also winning her third game on the mound in the last four days. Cali Deal also came up big with two hits that included a double, scoring a run, and knocking one in while also pitching the final 1 1/3 innings to earn her second save of the season.
Madison Chaplin chipped in by staking Quitman to a 1-0 lead after leading off with a and scoring on Deal’s sacrifice fly. Guyotte followed with her 9th tater of the year, which according to MaxPreps.com is the second highest total in the state, and then with two outs Averi Williams smashed a line single to right field that scored Madeline Vail and Karley Huckaby who had reached base via a hit and a walk.
A walk, followed by a double and a Quitman error narrowed the lead to 4-3 in the top of the third. That was as close as Bell City, who fell to 10-3 on the year, would get though as Guyotte left runners stranded on second and third by recording a strike-out to end the inning.
The Lady Wolverines added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Vail hit a sacrifice ground out to the pitcher that plated Deal, who had opened the frame with a single, moved to second on Guyotte’s second hit of the game and took third on Maddie Kaye Brymer’s fielders choice grounder to second.
Bell City (10-3) 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 – 3 7 1
Quitman (10-4) 4 0 0 0 1 0 x – 5 9 1
WP – Guyotte (4-4), LP – Landry
2B – Deal
3B – Chaplin
HR – Guyotte
RBI – Guyotte, Deal, Vail, Williams
RS – Chaplin, Deal, Guyotte, Vail, Huckaby
SB – Pullig
Quitman 12 Hicks 1 (Friday) Maggie Guyotte hit a home run for the third straight game, added a double, and pitched a two-hitter in her second straight start as Quitman extended the winning streak to eight straight in the Lady Wolverines’ second game on Friday. The round-tripper was the freshman phenom’s 8th home run and 24th RBI on the year, both tops in Jackson Parish and among the leaders in the state.
The high-powered QHS offense pounded out 14 hits and scored in every inning they batted paced by three hits that included a double by Maddie “Big Bopper” Brymer, who added 2 RBI and a run scored. Cali Deal (3RS, 3RBI), Karley Huckaby (3B, 3RS), and Averi Williams (2RBI) all added two hits apiece and Madison Chaplin, Madeline Vail, and Marley Bell chipped in with a hit and a run scored.
Hicks (7-3) 0 0 1 0 0 – 1 2 2
Quitman (9-4) 1 4 1 3 3 – 12 14 3
WP – Guyotte (3-4), LP – Dousay
2B – Guyotte, Brymer
3B – Huckaby
HR – Guyotte
RBI – Deal 3, Guyotte 2, Brymer 2, Williams 2
RS – Deal 3, Huckaby 3, Chaplin, Guyotte, Brymer, Vail, Pullig, Bell
Quitman 5 Rosepine 1 (Friday) Cali Deal hit a three-run blast over the centerfield fence in the bottom of the fifth to break open a 1-1 pitching duel. Seventh grader, Hallie Kate Pullig, followed with a solo shot in the sixth as Quitman rolled to their 7th win in a row in their opening contest of the Smoothie King Invitational.
Skylar Hall and Pullig started the decisive inning with back-to-back singles setting the stage for Deal’s fifth home run of the year and second game-winning home run in the last three played. The victory improved Quitman’s record to 9-4 on the year while Rosepine, which competes in Division III, fell to 4-5 this season.
Quitman took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Maggie Guyotte blasted a two-out shot to right field for her 7th dinger of the season. Rosepine tied it in the top of the second on a pair of singles but Deal allowed just three more hits the rest of the way to slam the door on her sixth win of the year without a loss.
Rosepine (4-5) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 -1 5 0
Quitman (8-4) 1 0 0 0 3 1 x – 5 9 0
WP – Deal (6-0), LP – Stinley
HR – Guyotte, Deal, Pullig
RBI – Deal 3, Guyotte, Pullig
RS – Pullig 2, Hall, Guyotte, Deal
Wolverines take two at Choudrant Tourney
If you are familiar with the Quitman baseball program over the last decade you know that the Wolverines always seem to start the season slowly. This is mainly due to head coach Joe Lockhart routinely putting together an exceedingly tough early season schedule designed to toughen his players up against good competition.
This season has been no different as facing opponents that had a combined record of 55-26 the Wolverines struggled to a 1-6 start. Lockhart never panicked though as he knew from experience that eventually his team would get more comfortable playing against top-flight competition and start winning. That day came Saturday.
Quitman won not only one game but two. Scoring a season-best 8 runs the Wolverine began the day by beating Claiborne Christian then capped things off by giving 2022 Class B All-State MVP pitcher Landon Hennon more losses in eight days than he had all of last year as Quitman’s best tournament host and defending Class B state champion Choudrant 5-4. On March 4th Quitman beat Hennon and Choudrant 1-0 for the Wolverines only prior win of the year.
Quitman 5 Choudrant 4 (Saturday) Taking advantage of unusual generosity by the Aggie defense and having seven players get a hit, including a double by Blake Carter, Quitman scored single runs in the first, second, and fifth innings to go along with two runs in the third. That was enough for Logan Ponder, who after Choudrant chased starter Pete Simonelli with three hits and two runs without making an out to open the game, held the Aggie offense scoreless until tiring in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Choudrant had crept to within one and had two men on with one out when Lockhart summoned Carter to the hill. Just now rounding into form after being injured in his first action of the year earlier in the season Carter immediately paid dividends by coaxing a double play and then slammed the door shut with a perfect seventh inning to earn the save.
Ponder, Riley Duck, Ian Tilley, Kace West, Carter, Maddox Duck, and Hudson Pullig all got hits. Runs were scored by West, Ponder, and Pullig with Carter tallying twice. Riley and Maddox Duck got the only RBI as three of Quitman’s runs were unearned.
Quitman (3-6) 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 – 5 7 1
Choudrant (8-4) 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 – 4 7 3
WP – Ponder (1-1), LP – Hennon
2B – Carter
RBI – R. Duck, M. Duck
RS – Carter 2, West, Ponder, Pullig
Quitman 8 Claiborne Christian 1 (Saturday) Better late than never. That is what head coach Joe Lockhart had to be thinking after the first of two contests played on Saturday at the Choudrant Invitational. What the longest-tenured skipper in Jackson Parish has been waiting for was Blake Carter, the expected ace of the staff before being injured earlier in the year, pitching his team to victory. The wait is over.
Carter reminded the Quitman faithful of his skills scattering six hits in six innings and allowing Claiborne Christian a single, fourth-inning run to earn his first win of the year and the team’s second after six losses.
The run that Carter gave up put CCA ahead 1-0 but Quitman responded with their top-scoring inning of the year in their next at-bat to blow the game open. Maddox Duck opened the top of the fifth with a single and went to second on a Brian Lay sacrifice bunt. Lary Ponder and Cam Deal followed with singles to give Quitman a 2-1 lead and after Riley Duck walked Ian Tilley singled to load the bases.
Carter then helped his cause by stroking a clutch two-out single to center to up the lead to 4-1. John Reagan Hasley then slapped a double to drive in two more. Quitman added two more in the next inning as Ponder singled and Deal walked before both moved up a base with a double steal. Riley Duck followed with a grounder to third that was thrown away allowing both runners to score.
Ponder (2RS, SB) and Hasley (2B, 2RBI) each got two of Quitman’s nine hits on the day with Deal (2RS) and Carter chipping in with a hit and 2RBI each. Ian Tilley and Maddox Duck got a hit and scored a run, Kase West reached base twice via a hit and a walk and Riley Duck drew a walk and knocked in a run.
Quitman (2-6) 0 0 0 0 6 2 0 – 8 9 0
CCA (1-5) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 – 1 6 2
WP – Carter (1-0), LP – Vaughn
2B – Hasley
RBI – Hasley 2, Deal 2, Carter 2, R. Duck
RS – Ponder 2, Deal 2, M. Duck, Tilley, Carter, Ty Lay
SB – Ponder, Deal
St. Fredericks 12 Quitman 1: The Wolverines scored a run in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of singles by Ian Tilley and Cam Deal and two errors on balls hit by Riley Duck and Larry Ponder. It was too little too late to make a difference in their opening game of the Choudrant Invitational.
St. Fredericks out of Monroe, the 5th ranked team in Division IV among “non-select” schools scored runs in five of their seven at-bats to methodically pull away for their third win in a row that improved their record to 6-4 on the year.
Before the final frame, Quitman had been limited to three singles, two by Blake Carter and one by Maddox Duck along with a Larry Ponder double. The Wolverines also left seven runners on base resulting in the Wolverines losing for the sixth time in seven starts.
St. Fredericks (6-4) 1 1 5 0 1 0 4 – 12 11 2
Quitman (1-6) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 1 6 0
WP – Melna, LP – Hasley
2B – Ponder
RS – Ponder
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