Choudrant wins Class B Championship!
The Choudrant Aggies hoist the Class B Championship trophy Saturday in Sulphur after beating Elizabeth 6-1 in the finals. This is Choudrant's fifth state title in school history.
Choudrant pitcher Braden Jones, who finishes the year 13-1, was named the Class B Oustanding Player and receives the trophy from Louisiana High School Athletic Association Executive Director Eddie Bonine.
Tie game. Two outs. Go-ahead runners on base. State championship on the line. It’s the scenario little leaguers dream about on every sandlot in Louisiana.
That dream became reality for Austin Swift Saturday in Sulphur in the Class B state championship game. Choudrant’s No. 9 hitter lined a two-out, two-run single to right field that gave the Aggies a 3-1 lead.
The eventual game-winning single allowed Choudrant (32-3) to capture the Class B trophy over Elizabeth (33-5) by the score of 6-1. It’s the fifth time in school history the Aggies have been crowned champions.
“Our bats had been a little slow, but we knew they eventually would come alive,” Choudrant head coach Tony Antley said. “In the sixth inning, things finally started falling into place.”
Choudrant finishes off a season in which they won 29 games in a row and allowed only three runs in four playoff games. All four wins during the post-season were recorded by southpaw ace Braden Jones (13-1), who ends his year winning his last 13 decisions.
He was once again dominant on the bump, pitching a complete game and working his way out of trouble more than once against a team that averaged more than 11 runs per game.
Jones was voted the game’s Outstanding Player, but that could have very well gone to Swift as well. He went 3-for-3 from the nine hole with two runs scored and the biggest two RBIs of the season. Jones went seven innings, gave up four hits, allowed just one unearned run and struck out nine.
“He (Jones) deserved to be the game's MVP,” Antley said. “He has carried us all through the playoffs and was tremendous today.”
The benchmark inning for Choudrant started out banal enough, with Elizabeth pitcher Alex Chamberlain striking out Eli Watson. Bryce McGuire ignited the rally, however, with an infield single to shortstop before Stone Weaver went down on strikes. Jackson Case dropped a two-out single into left-center and moved to second on the throw to third.
There stood Swift with destiny on the line and Aggies on base.
On a 1-1 count, Swift connected to plate McGuire and Case and the Choudrant crowd erupted. The Aggies weren’t done, however. Or rather, the Bulldogs became undone.
Landon Hennen reached on an error by Elizabeth’s Jason Gormanous that allowed Swift to reach third. One batter later, Luke Tassin lifted a fly ball to center, which was misplayed by Aiden Soileau. That allowed Swift and Hennen to score to increase the lead to 5-1. Fittingly enough, the man who would end the game on the mound, would end the scoring as well. Jones laced an RBI single to center to drive in Tassin and the lead was 6-1 with three outs remaining until blue and gold celebration.
Elizabeth did manage to get a runner aboard in the top of the seventh, but on his 110th pitch of the game, Jones induced a popup from Gormanous. Jones squeezed the last out and the championship celebration ensued.
Hennen, Jones, McGuire, Weaver, Case and Swift were part of Choudrant’s eight-hit attack on the day. The bottom third of the order stepped up in a huge way. Weaver, Case and Swift went a combined 5-for-9 against Chamberlain (12-5), who absorbed the loss, his first defeat in his last nine starts.
Choudrant is now 5-4 in championship games over the years and wins its second state championship in the last four seasons, taking home the 2017 title as well.
