The East Iberville Tigers will take on the Port Allen Pelicans at 3:35 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
East Iberville will bounce into Wednesday's match after beating Liberty Magnet, who they had gone 0-4 against in their four prior meetings. East Iberville walked away with an 8-3 win over Liberty Magnet on Saturday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Tigers.
Colton Melancon
| 03/01/25 vs Liberty Magnet | 3 |
| 02/14/25 vs Warren Easton | 2 |
| 02/10/25 @ Donaldsonville | 2 |
| 02/28/25 @ Southern Lab | 1 |
| 04/02/24 vs Ascension Catholic | 1 |
Colton Melancon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cort Willis and Chene Thompson did most of the damage at the plate: Willis got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI, while Thompson scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-4. Thompson is becoming a predictor of East Iberville's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-4 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Kade Cantrelle, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his five plate appearances.
East Iberville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .525. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty Magnet only posted an OBP of .276.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Port Allen, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Liberty Magnet on Monday. Considering the Pelicans have won five games by more than eight runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Hunter Bodin was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Bodin was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Johnny Payne was a standout: he went 1-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. That triple was his first of the season. Jack Dickinson was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
Port Allen's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-3. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.33 hits in those games compared to only 4.8 in the others. As for East Iberville, the win got them back to even at 4-4.
Wednesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. East Iberville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .503. However, it's not like Port Allen struggles in that department as they've averaged .485. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went East Iberville's way against Port Allen in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as East Iberville made off with a 12-0 victory. Does East Iberville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Port Allen turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
