Berwick shocks No. 3 E.D. White 3-1

Berwick High School head baseball coach Mike Thomas told his squad after their win Thursday against Patterson that it would need to beat league front-runner E.D. White Tuesday in order to have a shot at a District 9-3A title.
Berwick accomplished the first part of that feat Tuesday and will go for the second today in a 4 p.m. contest at E.D. White.
Behind a three-hitter by Nick Duthu, the Panthers (16-9 overall, 6-1 in district) shocked Class 3A’s third-ranked squad, E.D. White, 3-1 in Berwick.
The loss was the first for E.D. White in District 9-3A play. Because both teams have one loss in District 9-3A play (Berwick lost to Patterson in extra innings on April 15), today’s contest will decide the district champion.
While E.D. White -- the 2013 Class 3A state runner-up --entered Tuesday’s contest as the No. 3 seed in the latest unofficial Louisiana High School Athletic Association power rankings, Berwick was No. 21 in Class 3A.
In the complete-game, Duthu surrendered a run on three hits with two hit batters and eight strikeouts.
Offensively, the Panthers got some timely hitting to score runs while defensively, the squad held E.D. White (21-5, 6-1) down.
“This is the first time all year that we’ve actually played a complete game,” Thomas said. “We had great pitching, we had great defense and we had the timely hits.”
Defensively, no play was bigger than centerfielder Justin Morvant’s hustle to track down and make a catch on a deep fly ball to centerfield that stranded the potential game-tying run at second base, Thomas said.
Duthu credited his defense for their play.
“My guys behind me, they were big today,” Duthu said.
Berwick opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI on Bobby Boudreaux’s groundout to E.D. White second baseman Seth Gravois, scoring Brooks Richard. Richard had led off the inning with a walk.
E.D. White tied the game at 1 in the top of the fifth inning when Frank Robichaux, who earlier had reached on a single, came home on a passed ball.
While Berwick stranded runners at second and third in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Panthers got out of a jam in the top of the sixth.
After E.D. White put the first two runners on base when Gravois was hit by a pitch and Spencer Folse reached base safely, Gravois was thrown out at third base on a fielder’s choice on a bunt attempt by Scottie Sanders. Then, Folse was thrown out trying to steal third base by Berwick catcher Austin Spencer one batter later, but Sanders reached second base on the play.
However, the Panthers got out of the inning unscathed when Justin Theriot was robbed of a hit on a nice run and catch by Morvant.
Berwick responded offensively in its at-bat.
With two outs and Daniel Gray, who had earlier reached base on an infield single now at second base, Spencer connected on a bloop single to shallow left field, scoring Gray.
The eventual game-winning hit by Spencer was even more significant because Thomas said he has used a designated hitter for Spencer when he has caught this year.
“He’s the one … who has been sitting there not saying a word, not saying a word, catching, not complaining, and he has an opportunity and … he produced the winning run,” Thomas said.
Later in the inning, Tim Shelby, who was pinch running for Spencer, scored on Braden Billiot’s single to right field.
E.D. White went down in order in the top of the seventh inning. It was the fourth inning in the game that Duthu retired the side in order.
“Duthu was good as advertised,” E.D. White coach Shane Trosclair said. “(It’s) tough to come on the road against a pitcher of his caliber. They got the two-out hit when they needed to, and hats off to Berwick. That’s a great game by them.”
Spencer finished 1-for-1 with an RBI for Berwick, while Billiot and Boudreaux each finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Duthu said Tuesday’s win was key.
“We needed that win more than anything because we have been losing some … we should have won,” he said. “This one right here was a tough game. … We played hard throughout the whole game.”