
AHS catcher Josh Citizen (14) applies the tag to prevent a run from scoring against Northwest on Monday. (photo by Rosco Harrington)

Senior pitcher Braylon Himel allowed one earned run and did not walk any in Abbeville’s win. (photo by Rosco Harrington)
Abbeville Wildcats end six-game skid
The Abbeville Wildcats halted a six-game losing streak on Monday with an 8-3 victory over the Northwest Raiders at Roy Theriot Field.
The Wildcats (6-11) entered the contest fresh off a weekend sweep courtesy of Morgan City. The Tigers outscored Abbeville 42-14 in the three-game series.
Abbeville has a power ranking of No. 30 in Division II Non-Select. Northwest (5-12) has a power ranking of No. 28.
AHS head coach Jeff Stephens is proud of the way his team responded to the losing streak.
“We played the kind of baseball that we’re capable of playing,” Stephens said. “It was nice to see the guys play together and compete. We have a great group of kids who really enjoy playing baseball. When they do it the right way, it’s really fun.”
“Baseball is a hard sport. It’s hard to show up every day. But these guys continue to do it. Whether we win or lose, they continue to show up. They’re not going to fold, and that’s what it takes to be a good ball player.”
The Wildcats also finished a game against Northwest that had been suspended due to darkness on February 16th. Play resumed in the bottom of the seventh with one out and Abbeville ahead 15-13. They quickly recorded the final two outs to win the game.
Stephens sees his team getting better every day, and that quick ending was a testament to that improvement. By April, he expects the Wildcats to be a tough out.
“We’ve been talking a lot about cleaning up our game,” Stephens said. “I think the guys are finally starting to see it. They’re starting to understand the game within the game. We still have a lot of work to do and a lot of baseball to play, but I think we’re tracking in the right direction.”
Senior righty Braylon Himel started on the bump for Abbeville and went the distance. He took a shutout into the seventh before allowing one earned run on five hits and no walks while fanning eight.
Himel was also a force at the plate. The leadoff hitter had a double, an RBI, two walks, three runs, and three stolen bases to drive the Wildcat offense. He scored on an error in the first inning and on a wild pitch in the second to put the Wildcats ahead 2-0 early.
Himel led off the fourth inning with a double and later scored on an error to make it 3-0 before an Oatlon Smith RBI groundout scored Deylon Joseph and Nathan Daniels scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 after four.
Himel drove a sacrifice fly to centerfield in the fifth that scored Smith before Darrell Davis and Joseph scored on wild pitches to make it 8-0 after five.
The Raiders scored three times in the seventh before Himel shut the door. Dwight Pelican had a two-RBI double, and Ethan Jenkins had two hits to lead Northwest.
Abbeville hosted Beachman’s Academy on Tuesday. They finish the week at home against A.J. Ellender on Friday.














