QSA finishes fourth at Pony regional tournament in Erath

QSA’s 10-and-under All-Stars Head Coach Chip Goutierrez told his team before the Pony Regional Tournament, he did not want them to lose their first two games and then be knocked out early.
The team, made up of Vermilion Parish boys, did what their coach requested and stayed alive until late Sunday afternoon. They posted an impressive 3-2 record and finished fourth out of nine teams, playing at QSA in Erath.
“We played very well this weekend,” said Goutierrez. “Coming into tournament I could see us improving. We got better each week. We showed up and played well. We did not want to go two and done. We met our expectations.”
QSA won its first two games but then ran into tournament favorite Crowley Saturday night and lost 12-1.
They bounced back and beat Welsh Sunday afternoon 18-7.
Their next game against Judice would be a back and forth game until the final out.
However, how it ended was a tough pill for QSA to swallow.
The Vermilion Parish team began the top of the sixth inning down 5-3 with one final at bat left.
In the top of the sixth inning and one out, Aiden Mouton got it started with a single, and Owen Stutes walked. Austin Hebert also walked to load the bases.
Colin Broussard was up next at the plate. Broussard hit a floater over the pitcher’s head. It hit the pitcher’s glove and fell on the ground for what looked like a single; however, the home plate umpire yelled, “Infield fly, batter’s out.”
According to the rules, an infield fly is not a dead ball. A player may advance if he wants to chance it. QSA’s players thought it was a hit and took off running. A Judice player alertly tagged a QSA player, who was off his base, for the third out of the game, ending the game.
The QSA players walked off the field confused as to what just happened.
Goutierrez said, “It was a bad way to end. The way it ended makes it harder to swallow.”
Landon Stubblefield went 2-for-3 at the plate, while Christen Migues had two hits and scored twice.
Austin Hebert had a double and Bo Lancon also had a hit.
Stubblefield and Thomas Collins teamed up to pitch against Judice.