For the second time in as many days, the Haughton Buccaneers kept the pressure on No. 1 seed Barbe.
But also for the second time, the Buccaneers from Lake Charles triumphed. Clinging to a 2-1 lead after six innings, Barbe scored three in the top of the seventh and won Game 2 of the best-of-3 Class 5A quarterfinal series 5-1 Saturday afternoon in Lake Charles.
Barbe (37-2), ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America, won the series two games to none. Barbe won Game 1 4-3 Friday night.
Barbe will face District 3-5A rival Sam Houston, the No. 4 seed, in the semifinals Thursday at the state tournament in Sulphur.
Haughton, the No. 8 seed, closed its season 28-10. The Bucs reached the quarterfinals for the first time since moving up to Class 5A in 2012.
As in Game 1, hits were tough to come by Saturday. Barbe got all three of theirs in the seventh. The Bucs took advantage of hit-by-pitches and a couple of errors early in the game.
Barbe’s Gavin Guidry, an LSU signee, pitched a two-hitter. He struck out nine and walked only one.
Haughton starter Jacob Hernandez didn’t allow a hit in three innings. He walked three and struck out three.
Austin Anderson allowed three hits, struck out six and walked two in four innings.
Barbe, the designated visiting team, scored one run in the top of the first on two walks, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch with two outs.
A hit-by-pitch and two errors helped Barbe go up 2-0 in the third.
Haughton cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
Peyton Stovall singled with one out and advanced to second when Chandler Lytle was hit by a pitch. Stovall advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another one.
Haughton’s Carter Griffin doubled with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Stovall drew a walk, putting runners at first and second. But Barbe turned a double play to end the threat.
Barbe finally got some breathing room in the seventh, scoring three on two singles and a double. The Bucs’ final two runs came with two outs.
