John Curtis edges NVHS in pitchers’ duel

Four total hits and one run scored was all the action produced in an epic pitching duel between North Vermilion's Donald Comeaux and John Curtis' Daniel Cabrera.
Comeaux’s three-hit performance was upstaged by Cabrera’s one-hit 14 strikeout outing and the LSU-commitment also picked up a key double that sparked the sacrifice fly to score the only run of the game and propel No. 2 seeded John Curtis (24-3) into the semifinals with the 1-0 victory.
North Vermilion (24-6) threatened to score in the bottom of the first after a Connor Dupuy single and two walks loaded the bases, but Cabrera struck out two straight batters to get out of the jam.
“We felt pretty good about us getting a fly ball and scoring a run but we didn’t execute,” said North Vermilion head coach Jeremy Trahan. “The guy’s good. He threw three pitches for strikes... It was a well-played game. Both pitchers did a great job and they (John Curtis) got the big hit when they needed it.”
North Vermilion had a runner reach third in the second inning, but could not capitalize. They left six runners stranded on base in the game.
John Curtis struggled to get runners on base as well. The team didn't pick up its first hit of the game until the fifth, but struck gold in the sixth, scoring the only run of the game sparked by Cabrera's double.
"Coach was thinking he would pitch around me," Cabrera said. "That's what he did the first two times, but I knew he was coming outside because he didn't give me anything inside and I just got close to the plate and drove the ball away. Hunter Dale came in with the clutch sac fly."
With winds in upwards of 15 miles per hour, both coaches said they saw the balls flying out of the park for batting practice, so the 1-0 outcome was not foreseen.
"It's crazy," said John Curtis head coach Johnny Curtis. "In batting practice both teams were watching the ball fly right out of the park. Comeaux is as good of a guy that we've faced all year long. He threw both pitches for strikes all day and we just had enough competitive at bats to win this thing 1-0."
Trahan and Comeaux agreed with Curtis.
"I thought he (Comeaux) did a great job,” Trahan said. "At times, I thought he lost it a little bit, but it's tough to throw when the wind is blowing 15 miles per hour in your face. That's the first loss of the season for him and he threw a great game.”
“Overall, it was a good game,” Comeaux said. “I could have thrown more strikes and had fewer walks. For the most part, it was a good performance.”
Dupuy picked up the lone hit of the game and despite the loss, Trahan said he was proud of the way his team performed in the hard-fought matchup.
“It was impressive,” he said. “I thought we could have gotten more solid contact on him (Cabrera), but he spotted up where he needed to be. I don’t think we were overwhelmed, or the name John Curtis scared us. We didn’t make an error. We were ready to go. A hit here or a hit there and we could be on the other side of things. It’s unfortunate for our group of seniors. I wish they could’ve gotten to the tournament, but they still had a great career. I’m proud of them.”
With the win, John Curtis advances to play No. 3 Iowa Friday at McMurry Park.