’Jacks take momentum into game with University Lab

Patterson’s baseball team stumbled out of the blocks but the Lumberjacks turned things around by season’s end.
So don’t tell the ’Jacks they can’t beat University Lab in Friday’s first-round playoff game in Baton Rouge.
Patterson (16-11), the 24th-seed, lost seven of its first 10 games this season.
“We started off slow, to say the least,” Patterson head coach Ryan Jensen said. “We weren’t playing up to our expectations. We just had to stay the course and believe things were going to get better.”
PHS won six of its next 10 games to begin righting the ship.
“At mid-season we just started playing better,” Jensen said. “You could see that the kids were starting to believe and after we lost to E.D. White by just one run, the kids totally bought in.”
Patterson won six of its last seven games, including its first season sweep of cross-town rival Berwick since 2010.
“We preach competition, win or lose,” the coach said. “We want the teams that beat us to say, ‘They never quit.’”
The strength of the 2015 ’Jacks has been its pitching.
“This group even passed my expectations,” Jensen said. “I knew we were a pretty good group coming back but they all worked hard and got better.”
Sirbatian Charles, Kenny Singleton (2-3, 2.30 ERA), Jake LaGrange (1-2, 1.80) and Brennan Gouaux (4-1, 2.30) have thrown most of the innings for Patterson.
Charles (7-4) will start Friday’s game against University Lab. The junior right-hander has a 1.32 earned run average.
“Chubb (Charles) will start and all we need from him is what he’s done all season,” Jensen said. “But if we need to make a change, we will because there is no saving anyone at this point of the season.”
Patterson hasn’t lost a game by more than a run since March 7.
The ’Jacks’ defense has also caught fire as of late.
“When we lost in the past, it was usually our defense that let us down, but we’ve played much better and we can pitch to contact now,” Jensen said. “The pitchers don’t have to try to strike out every batter they face.”
The top hitters by average this season are Gouaux (.387), Tyrik Singleton (.333), LaGrange (.308), Joel Singleton (.296), Brad Beaubouef (.286) and Bryce Beaubouef (.278).
University Lab (19-11), the ninth-seed, plays in the competitive District 7-3A consisting of Parkview Baptist, Brusly and West Feliciana.
“They can pitch; they have a couple guys that throw in the mid-80s,” Jensen said. “They don’t give up many runs; they’re not going to give you anything.”
First pitch is 4 p.m. Friday in Baton Rouge.
--By CORWIN MURRAY