Doyle defeats Kaplan: Live updates, score of Louisiana high school Division III nonselect softball semifinal

Fifth-seeded Tigers eliminate No. 1 Kaplan in five innings, 13-3

Kaplan Pirates are the No. 1 seed / Kaplan HS Facebook

The Louisiana high school softball playoffs are made up of eight divisions and two classes.

All season, Division III nonselect has stood out as a division that would be incredibly tough in the final three rounds, with the likes of defending champion Sterlington, 2024 runner-up Doyle and top-seeded Kaplan, which won it all two years ago.

446 Sports posted a poll this week, asking viewers to vote for the favorite in Division III nonselect. Pine Prairie, the No. 2 seed, got out to a large lead. Dusty Hickman commented on the post that the winner of Pine Prairie and No. 3 Jena should be considered the favorite.

We feel the other way, with all due respect. Doyle, which came-from-behind with two outs in the seventh inning to win at No. 4 Sterlington in the quarterfinals, lost 1-0 to the Panthers in the 2024 final.

This year's group of seniors led the Tigers (24-7) to wins in 16 of their last 18 games with losses to Division II nonselect No. 2 Brusly and Division I nonselect No. 2 Benton by a total of five runs.

Shelby Taylor, Alyson Fletcher, Kassidy Rivero, Kylee Savant and Bailey Mclin are seniors who will lead the Tigers against No. 1 Kaplan in a semifinal game at noon Friday at Frasch Park in Sulphur.

Taylor and Savant signed with Houston. Rivero, who drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the score at Sterlington, is headed to Austin Peay; Fletcher to LSU-Eunice.

Junior first baseman Genie Lovett followed Rivero's walk with a two-run single in the 5-3 win at Sterlington. After the Panthers got a couple of solo homers and an RBI double for a 3-1 lead, pitcher Bella Collins allowed only two hits to the powerful Sterlington lineup over the final five innings. Emily Edler has also been effective in the circle.

Kaplan earned the top seed with a stellar 29-2 record, which includes wins over St. Thomas More, Iowa, John Curtis, Lutcher, Stanley, West Ouachita, Ponchatoula, Assumption, Acadiana and Sulphur. Its only losses were in consecutive games to Class 5A programs Sam Houston, the top seed in Division I nonselect, and Southside. The Pirates have won 23 straight games.

Coach Brittany LeBeouf has several seniors, but the Pirates entered the year as an inexperienced group overall. Sophomore pitcher Lexi Greene moved to the leadoff spot in the batting order. She has power and speed. Younger sister Liberty Greene is a starting infielder.

Baleigh Landry, who had four RBIs in the 10-6 win over No. 8-seeded French Settlement in the quarterfinals, and Abbigale Ford are power hitters, as is freshman designated player Emma Sherman. Lexi Greene helped Kaplan shut out 13 opponents in the regular season. Ten foes were held to one or two runs.

Kaplan and Doyle met in the 2023 semifinals, with the Pirates prevailing 8-0 on pitcher Briley LeBeouf's no-hitter. Kaplan went on to win the state final against Sterlington. LeBeouf graduated last year, as did Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year Kennedy Marceaux.

Top first inning

-OF Shelby Taylor will lead off for Doyle in about 10 minutes. Player introductions are underway.

-Taylor, a senior left fielder, drops a bunt down the third base line for a hit. Bailey Mclin up to bat. Taylor steals second base on the next pitch.

-Mclin gets good contact on a couple of foul swings to the opposite field. She's a left-handed swinger. 1-2 count. Another foul ball over the third base dugout. And another.

-Fly out to left field by Mclin. Catcher Kylee Savant up next. Taylor on second base. One out. Savant beats out an infield hit to shortstop Liberty Greene. Tayor advances to third. One out.

-Clean-up hitter Alyson Fletcher bunts down the first base line. A throw home goes over the Kaplan catcher's head. Taylor scores. Runners on second and third. Doyle 1, Kaplan 0

-Back to back bunts by Doyle result in runs. Kassidy Rivero's sacrifice brings in the Tiger from third (courtesy runner Maddison Vidrine). Doyle 2, Kaplan 0

Bottom first inning

-Lexi Greene leads off for Kaplan and reaches on a walk on a full count. She steals second base. Baleigh Landry up to bat. Another left-handed swinger. Landry scores Greene on a line drive to left field and is on second base with no outs. Doyle 2, Kaplan 1

-Abbigale Ford hits a sharp one-hopper to shortstop Bailey Mclin, who throws to third to Rivero for the tag out of Landry. Ford reaches first on the fielder's choice. Freshman Emma Sherman up to bat. One out.

-Sherman lines out to Rivero at third base. Two outs for Liberty Greene, the freshman and younger sister of Lexi. Rivero fields a grounder and throws to first for the final out. Doyle 2, Kaplan 1 End 1

Top second inning

-Reagan Anthony gets to first base on a leadoff walk but is out on a double play after a pop out to second base. Greene strikes out Emily Edler looking. Doyle 2, Kaplan 1

Bottom second inning

-Drew Kass flies out to Shelby Taylor in left field for the first out. Catcher Addyson Hebert up to bat. Collins strikes out the Kaplan catcher looking. Two down.

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-Collins nabs back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Doyle 2, Kaplan 1 End 2

Top third inning

-Shelby Taylor triples to the fence in right field. Mclin up with no outs. Mclin walks on a full court. Runners on the corners for Kylee Savant.

-Savant flies out. Clean-up hitter Fletcher up with runners on second and third. One out.

-Bunt single by Fletcher loads the bases with one out for Rivero, whose sacrifice fly to left scores Taylor for the second time today. Doyle 3, Kaplan 1

Bottom third inning

-Two outs after Lexi Greene flies out to left field. Bailey Landry pops out to end the inning. Doyle 3, Kaplan 1 end 3

Top fourth inning

-Bella Collins with a one-out single to center field. Edler grounds out to second. Courtesy runner to second base. The dangerous Taylor (2-for-2, triple, two runs scored) up next.

-Shelby Taylor hits another triple to deep right field for a Tiger run. Doyle 4, Kaplan 1

-Mclin's line drive bounces off Greene, the Kaplan pitcher, and scores Taylor for the third time today. Doyle 5, Kaplan 1

-Savant walks. Two on, two out for Fletcher, the clean-up hitter. Two-run single makes it Doyle 7, Kaplan 1

-Rivero drives in another run. Doyle 8, Kaplan 1

Bottom fourth inning

-Kaplan gets two runners on, but Collins records a strikeout. Nine outs left for the top-seeded Pirates. Doyle 8, Kaplan 1

Top fifth inning

-Runners on the corners with no outs for Emily Edler. On deck is Shelby Taylor (3-for-3, two triples, two runs scored, RBI). Edler reaches on an error. Anthony scores. Doyle 9, Kaplan 1

-Grand slam for catcher Kylee Savant. Doyle 13, Kaplan 1

Bottom fifth inning

-Collins gets the first out via strikeout. Tigers two outs away from facing the No. 3 Jena/No. 2 Pine Prairie winner. Jena leads in the bottom of the sixth inning, 3-2.

Doyle advances to face Jena in the state final Saturday. Tigers beat top-seeded Kaplan 13-3.

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