Hahnville put up four runs in a hurry Saturday that would prove more than enough to hold off Belle Chasse in a battle of top-10 teams.
A pair of two-RBI liners to left by multisport standouts Landen Teague and Bennett Naquin highlighted a four-hit, four-run bottom of the first.
And another score in the fifth would prove lagniappe as senior Ja’Vonte Gray and relievers Avyn Whitney and Noah Hogan combined for seven shutout innings in the 5-0 victory for the home Tigers (28-6).
“It all started with Ja’Vonte,” Hahnville coach Jared Vial said. “He’s somebody that’s been out of the pen for us, working back into a starter role. He came to us yesterday wanting to start, and gave it to him, and he was big for us. And I think if he can get going for us and do what he did, especially with the run support that we can do, I think it’s gonna be huge.”
Gray struck out two and allowed just one hit in five innings, retiring the first seven batters he faced and working through a string of walks in the third to remaining unscathed.
The Cardinals (15-15) continued finding ways on base in the fourth and fifth innings, but the LSU-Eunice commit and the Tigers’ defense behind him continued finding answers.
“For me in that position, it really just me pulling across my body and cutting on my fastballs,” he explained. “And on the breaking balls, it was me not being able to get the shoulder high enough to land it in the right spot. But other than that, in a moment like that, you kinda just take a step back and you’ve gotta think, ‘Where should I work next?’ or ‘What should I do next?’ And me coming in the dugout and taking some time to reflect on what I had to do next really helped.”
Said Vial: “He’s a college pitcher, and the talk we had was just, ‘If the zone moves, it’s OK. Make your adjustments and whatever you need to do to just pound the zone.’ And he did. Yeah, it kinda tightened up a little bit, and on both sides. I thought he handled it well, he did what he needed to do and I think he grew up today a little bit. He’s young, so I think he grew up and gave us his best effort, so we’re pretty proud of him.”
Belle Chasse drew three consecutive one-out walks in the third inning. But a throwout by Hahnville sophomore catcher Luke Heiden to Teague in the process helped keep the threat manageable, and Gray induced a pop-up to junior second baseman Brayden Fontenot to shut the door.
Two of the first Cardinals to bat in the fourth reached safely as Southern Miss-signed shortstop Alex Richardson ran out an infield error, and Nunez Community College-signed first baseman Blake Galmiche drilled a single to right-center for the team’s only hit.
But Hahnville read an eventual double-steal attempt from the corners with Teague charging in for a throw from Heiden and firing right back for an out at the plate. And Gray drew a pop-up back to himself three pitches later to end the inning.
“It’s just practicing all that and really just doing what we do at practice in the game and make sure we can give ourselves the best shot to win,” Teague said of timely defensive plays to shut down Cardinals opportunities.
Belle Chasse senior starter Brayden Babin recovered well from the tough first to allow just two hits, two walks and a hit batter through the next four innings and strike out four batters
But the Tigers broke through again in the bottom of the fifth as LSU-committed designated hitter Koa Romero led off with his second free-pass in three plate appearances — a five-pitch walk to go with an earlier hit-by-pitch — and stole second base.
A hard-hit Heiden single to left drove home senior pinch-runner Rylon Chaney for an insurance run, and Whitney and Hogan pitched a pair of perfect innings to ice the victory.
“Regardless if I hit, Teague hits, (junior left fielder Kaleb) Guarisco hits, the bottom of the lineup has been really good this year,” Romero said. “So we can always (produce). I never really worry. No matter how good or bad I do, I never worry.”
Teague’s two-RBI single, Naquin’s two-RBI double and Heiden’s 2-for-3 afternoon with an RBI led the offense.
Fontenot drew a pair of walks, including the lead-off at-bat in the first to set the table for the big inning, and both Guarisco and junior third baseman Eli Landry had singles.
“I feel great,” Romero said. “We had to play the tough schedule this year preparing for the playoffs, and we came out as one of the top seeds in the state. I think we did really well this year, and I think we’re prepared.”
Hahnville entered the day at No. 4 in the Division-I Non-Select power ratings and no other games remaining on the schedule before the LHSAA’s playoff brackets are released Tuesday.
The Tigers’ highest seeding since the LHSAA moved to a power-ratings system in 2008 was No. 7 in 2013.
“From the beginning, they gelled right,” Vial said. “We went on a five-game skid early on and lost five in a row. We kind of buried the stat sheets and came together, and you’ve seen this team grow. They’re a tight-knit group, and I’m proud of ’em. They battled. I mean, to win 28 games is really good for this program and what we can offer, so I’m very proud of ’em for that.”
Belle Chasse entered the day at No. 10 in Division-II Non-Select, which would match last year’s positioning among the best in program history (No. 3 in 2009, No. 5 in 2010, No. 7 in 2011, No. 8 in 2012 and 2018 and No. 10 in 2025).
The Cardinals are scheduled to visit Archbishop Shaw (17-12) in a District 9-4A finale Monday to cap their regular season.
Belle Chasse coaches, batters and base-runners huddle during a Hahnville mound visit Saturday, April 11, 2026. (Photo: Jerit Roser, Louisiana vs. All Y’all)
