Patterson will play at Brusly Thursday

After already breaking the school record for wins in a season, the No. 27 seed Patterson High School Lumberjacks will be looking to continue their successful season in the postseason when they travel to face No. 6 seed Brusly High School Thursday.
The Lumberjacks, who had to replace multiple seniors from a year ago — including Belhaven University signee Dallas Hamlett — struggled this summer winning just one game, although a big one, against E.D. White’s summer league team.
Head coach Ryan Jensen said he thought the tough times during the summer helped his squad.
“With the false sense of success that travel ball provides by playing only kids your age, having to compete against guys 2-4 years older than you is a difficult transition and took a while for us to adjust to,” Jensen said. “This group of kids approached the start of this baseball season with a great attitude and an understanding of the amount of work that needed to be done.”
Besides their attitude and enthusiasm, Jensen said the squad’s unselfishness and focus on pitching and defense have helped them as well as their senior leadership.
“This season has been without question the best we have been as strike throwers and having some consistency in making routine defensive plays, and it’s no surprise that that has equaled more wins,” Jensen said. “We have had multiple injuries take people out of the lineup and it just seemed like the guy we would replace them with would step up and make plays that would be a key factor in winning a game.”
Jensen pointed to a three-game stretch with a win against Country Day in the last inning, winning at Riverside against the 2A power and beating Cecilia at home via a no-hitter “made us true believers.”
Patterson (19-11) finished the regular season in third place in District 7-3A.
Brusly (22-8) finished tied with University Lab with a 7-3 in District 7-3A play, good enough for a co-district runner-up finish.
Brusly split with defending Class 3A champion Parkview, beating them 5-1 in one game while falling 7-4. They also have wins against No. 3 seed E.D. White and split with Class 2A runner-up University Lab, who moved to 3A this season.
Jensen said he watched Brusly play Parkview when the Panthers beat the Eagles and said the Panthers are a solid ball club.
He expects to see their top pitcher, a left-hander who beat Parkview.
Jensen said he throws in the low 80s and does good things with his off-speed pitching.
Jensen said Brusly has a few other right-handed pitchers who throw in the low 80s and are good.
Offensively, Jensen said Brusly’s top player is their leadoff hitter, Kwanstan Adkins, a first-team Class 3A all-state selection a year ago who has signed with Northwestern State.
“He can really play,” Jensen said of the right fielder.
As for the rest of the lineup, Jensen said Brusly is balanced with no weaknesses.
“It will be a challenge 1-9 to get them out,” Jensen said. “We have to be aware of them running on the base baths as they possess a great deal of team speed.”
Thursday’s game will begin at 6 p.m. and admission is $5.