Andrew Valenti

1 month ago | nola.com | Andrew Valenti

Situational hitting can win or lose baseball games. No. 2 Holy Cross found itself on the positive end of that saying and scored all 12 of its runs with two outs in a 12-1 win against No. 10 Acadiana in Game 1 of a Division I Select best-of-three quarterfinal series played at Holy Cross on Friday night in a contest that was delayed by nearly two hours because of inclement weather.

1 month ago | nola.com | Andrew Valenti

It wasn’t an easy Division I select regional round best-of-three series for No. 8 John Curtis. The Patriots squeaked by ninth-seeded Rummel on a walk-off base hit in Thursday’s Game 1. Curtis then needed a late-inning home run off the bat of designated hitter Kolston Martinez to give the team the cushion it needed to put away the Raiders 4-2 in Game 2 Friday night at Harahan Playground in a contest that was delayed by more than an hour because of lightning.

1 month ago | nola.com | Andrew Valenti

John Curtis first baseman Bryce Hebert stepped to the plate with two outs and Xavier Brown at third base in the bottom of the seventh inning with the No. 8 Patriots deadlocked with No. 9 Rummel in Game 1 of a Division I Select regional playoff game Thursday. Hebert ripped an RBI base knock to left field that plated Brown to give his team a 2-1 win at Harahan Playground. “It’s a great feeling,” said Hebert, who went 1 of 3 at the plate.

2 months ago | nola.com | Andrew Valenti

Bryce Bordes, St. Paul’s, Sr.The team captain was instrumental in the Wolves’ run to the program’s 12th state title, scoring 30 goals and dishing out 13 assists during the season. St. Paul’s started the season off slow against one of the toughest strengths of schedule in the state, and Bordes was a key cog in the Wolves' turnaround. He helped his team to a 12-match win streak to end the year. St. Paul’s outscored its opponents 18-3 in the postseason.

2 months ago | nola.com | Andrew Valenti

Stella Junius, Mount Carmel, Jr.The team captain scored 18 goals and dished out 10 assists during the Cubs championship run to a Division I state championship. While Junius did not lead Mount Carmel in scoring or assists – teammate Josie Randol notched 19 goals and 17 assists, the junior netted her goals in pivotal moments. She had the go-ahead goals in the district championship match against Dominican and in the quarterfinal, semifinal and championship matches.