Hanson Lady Tigers come up short in state playoffs

SULPHUR _ Ascension Catholic rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a comeback 6-4 win over the Hanson Memorial Lady Tigers here Friday in the Class A quarterfinals at the LHSAA Fast Pitch 56 State Softball Tournament at Frasch Park.
Hanson built up a 5-1 lead over the first two innings with Kimberly Sonnier’s 3-run homer highlighting the uprising. In the top half of the first inning, Paige Diamond and MacKenzie Hebert crossed home plate as the Lady Tigers sailed ahead by a 2-0 score. The Lady Bulldogs managed to score one run in the bottom half of the first inning, trimming HMS’ lead to 2-1. In the second frame, Hanson’s Kimberly Sonnier belted a 3-run homer, lifting the Lady Tigers outfront by a 5-1 margin.
Ascension Catholic chipped away at the Lady Tigers’ lead, pulling within one run of HMS at 5-4 over the fourth and fifth frames.
In the seventh inning, a highly controversial call stopped the Lady Tigers’ momentum turning the game in favor of the Lady Bulldogs. Hanson had runners on second and third with one out while building momentum before a fly ball was caught out of bounds and Hanson’s Paige Diamond tagged third base and raced home for a run while Mackenzie Hebert tagged and sprinted to third base.
Soon after the dust settled, Ascension Catholic appealed saying Diamond left early and the home plate umpire called her out, ending the frantic inning.
The Lady Bulldogs collected a pair of runs in their final at-bat, pulling out a heart-breaking 6-5 win over the Hanson Lady Tigers.
“I asked him (umpire) what was going on, he said she left early,” Hanson Coach Brittney Broussard said. “I asked him if she left early why was the play so close and he said I don’t know coach why she left early.”
Coach Broussard continued by saying: “He wasn’t budging on his way and I knew that I wasn’t going to get mine.”
The play turned momentum in the Lady Bulldogs’ favor after the Hanson Lady Tigers caught fire early and raced out to a 5-1 advantage.
Ascension Catholic struck for five runs over the final four innings, earning the come-from-behind win over HMS.
Hanson (19-8) collected 10 hits, supporting starting pitcher Sarah Sonnier, who struck out four batters on the day.
Kim Sonnier led the Lady Tiger in hitting with 3-run homer while Paige Diamond finished with three singles.
The Lady Tigers ended the season by reaching the state playoffs in Sulphur.