Latest news with #Domingue
American Press
02-05-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Time to turn tables, Broncos look for new ending against old playoff nemesis
Sam Houston's Chloe Peshoff has hit nine home runs this season for the Non-select Division I No. 1 Broncos. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) The last two seasons have ended the same way for the Sam Houston Broncos softball team — at the hands of the St. Amant Gators. The top-seeded Broncos (28-2) get another chance to reverse that trend when they play the three-time defending state champion No. 4 Gators (23-9) in the Non-select Division I semifinals in the state tournament at 5 p.m. today at North Frasch Park in Sulphur. 'We have to come out with energy because we know that they can perform well just like us,' Sam Houston senior third baseman Carolina Eidson said. 'Maybe we will be the ones to send them home this year.' Eidson, and senior first baseman Aubrey Hobbs, are two of a handful of Broncos who experienced last year's loss to the Gators in the quarterfinals and the 2023 state finals. 'I feel like we run into them every year, but I think we will have it if we just play our game and don't make it bigger than it is,' Hobbs said. St. Amant won 4-0 in 2023 and slipped by the Broncos 9-8 last season. Broncos head coach Beth Domingue described the 2024 meeting as feeling like a state tournament game. 'The crowd was really intense,' Domingue said. 'There was a lot of close plays. There was a lot of offense. I think everybody knew the importance of it.' Recently, the Broncos have been doing everything right. They have won 26 consecutive games, and have an explosive offense and a strong pitcher in Kailyn Mire (27-2, 1.75, ERA) who has 13 shutouts. Sam Houston has crushed 55 home runs and scored 11.6 runs a game. Junior Aubrey Portie (14), sophomore Layla Landry (14) and Eidson (11) have more than 10 home runs apiece. 'I think we have performed very well offensively and defensively,' Hobbs said. 'I think that our lineup is stacked offensively. 'I think 1-9 all of them can hit. That is a plus. I think it is better than last year. Our lineup really hasn't changed. I think we have done an excellent job.' Sam Houston run-ruled St. Amant 12-1 on March 26, but Domingue said she is not worried about her team becoming complacent. 'We haven't talked about that, but I think this is a bigger game on a bigger stage,' Domingue said. 'I think it's going to be a battle no matter what. I don't think we're worried about what we did a month ago or whatever it was because it obviously doesn't mean anything.' The teams have met in the playoffs four times since 2013, and the victor has gone on to win a state championship each time. St. Amant won the state championship after beating the Broncos in 2023 and 2024. Sam Houston beat the Gators in the semifinals in 2013 and '15 on their way to the program's fourth and fifth state championships. 'They have a great program and great coaching staff, but it does seem like we always have to run into them,' Domingue said. 'I hate that we ended up on the same side of the bracket as them, just like last year. At least it was later down the line than last year. I think to be the best, you got to beat the best.' This year's winner will take on the winner of No. 3 Dutchtown (24-9) and No. 7 Walker (22-8) in the finals at 3 p.m. Saturday.
American Press
25-04-2025
- Sport
- American Press
Broncos aces learns to work out of jams, Sam Houston hosts Live Oak in quarterfinals
Broncos aces learns to work out of jams, Sam Houston hosts Live Oak in quarterfinals Published 12:13 pm Friday, April 25, 2025 Sam Houston head coach Beth Domingue has a lot of confidence in sophomore pitcher Kailyn Mire. In one of the No. 1 Broncos' most difficult games, Domingue let Mire ride out early struggles and lead them to a win over Live Oak. She will send her out to the circle to face the No. 8 Eagles again with a trip to next week's Louisiana High School Athletic Association state softball tournament in Sulphur hanging in the balance. The Non-select Division I quarterfinal game will start at 5 p.m. today at Sam Houston High School in Moss Bluff. Email newsletter signup In that first meeting against Live Oak (21-13), Mire gave up nine runs in the first inning but allowed one more over the next six innings and the Broncos won 13-10 on a Chloe Peshoff walk-off three-run home run. 'As a sophomore taking that, that is a tough spot to be in,' Domingue said. 'She has been in those spots this year. We started pecking away. I feel like that was the first time we faced some real adversity.' While the Broncos' offense draws a lot of the spotlight with 53 home runs, Domingue said Mire has been steady and reliable all season. She has pitched all but two innings this season for the Broncos (27-2) and has a 1.75 earned run average in 160 innings. 'Kailyn has been phenomenal for us,' Domingue said. 'I feel like she gets overlooked by the way she wins. She has really done some great things for us. It is cool to see.' With 104 strikeouts to 59 walks, Mire is not a power pitcher but doesn't give opponents much to work with. She has allowed more than one earned run once in her last 12 starts. 'I think it is her pitch location,' Domingue said. 'She has done a really good job putting it where we wanted. 'She changes speeds and forces weak contact. She might not strike you out every time, but she trusts the defense to make the plays.' That first Live Oak game marked a season high in errors (5) for the Broncos. They committed no more than one error in nine of their last 12 games. 'Honestly, I feel like our defense has been pretty solid all year,' Domingue said. 'We have had some bumps in the road. All around the field, we are pretty defensively solid.' Domingue said she hasn't talked to the Broncos much about the state tournament or last season's 9-8 quarterfinals loss at St. Amant, preferring instead to stay focused on the moment. 'We have had that sour taste in our mouth,' Domingue said. 'That was a really tough loss. We haven't really talked about getting to Sulphur. 'We have talked about who is the next opponent. The only thing that matters is the next game. The only thing that matters is winning the next game and that is against Live Oak.' Elsewhere Oakdale (16-8) was the lone area team to reach the state tournament last year with its first run to the semifinals and wants to make it back-to-back trips. And it goes through Oak Grove again. The No. 5 Warriors travel to No. 4 Oak Grove (16-8) for a 4 p.m. Saturday Non-select Division IV quarterfinal game. Last year in Oak Grove, junior Ainslie Willis pitched a complete-game one-hitter with 15 strikeouts. She scattered four hits with eight strikeouts in the Warriors' 12-2 win over Merryville on Tuesday in the regional round. South Beauregard (17-15), DeQuincy (17-14) and Starks are trying to end long state tournament droughts. The Tigers last played in Sulphur in 2014 while the Panthers' last appearance was in 2015. Both will hit the road in the quarterfinals. Class C No. 7 Starks (14-5) plays No. 2 Northside Christian (12-7) at 5 p.m. today, while Non-select Division IV No. 9 DeQuincy plays top-seeded LaSalle (31- 3) at 5:30 p.m. South Beauregard has the longest state tournament drought of the three at 16 years. The Non-select Division III No. 10 Lady K's upset No. 7 Many with six home runs in the regional playoffs No. 2 Pine Prairie (27-3) for a 6 p.m. game. After losing at home as a four seed in the regional round in back-to-back seasons, Non-select Division III No. 6 Kinder (17-5) is one win from its first trip to the state tournament since 2022. The Yellow Jackets play at No. 3 Jena (25-7) at 5 p.m. The Giants were semifinalists in 2024 and '23. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wing Wars of Acadiana returns to downtown Lafayette, raising funds for homeless youth
Wing Wars of Acadiana: Acadiana's Chicken Wing Festival volunteers, cooks and members of the community of Lafayette came together Saturday with the goal of support. The event at Parc International in downtown aimed to benefit the Gifting Grace Project, which helps homeless children by providing them with essential resources. David Owens, the founder and chairman of the organization, started the cookoff in 2021. It initially became the organization's premier fundraiser for the Gifting Grace Project. It also serves as a community awareness event. The Gifting Grace Project began in the fall of 2020 and aimed to give back to the Acadiana community. What started as a holiday outreach, according to their website, quickly grew when they learned that nearly 600 students in the Lafayette Parish School System were experiencing homelessness. During the cookoff, Wing Wars of Acadiana welcomed all cooks, both professional and amateur, who came together to cook a whole lot of wings. A total of 12 participated in this year's Wing Wars of Acadiana: Acadiana's Chicken Wing Festival, two more than last year, according to Owens' sister Sarah Arnold, who helps with the Gifting Grace Project. 'We team up with our group of volunteers and committee members to make this happen,' Arnold said. 'We sponsor, on average, around 2000 kids a year, and you have to have money for that, and so as a nonprofit, we rely on fundraising and donations, and this is our only fundraiser event every year.' Arnold said they raised about $30,000 last year, and they are hoping to meet that number this year and then some. The 12 teams that competed were: ATF Bistro Bayou Bao Co. Chateau de Haydell Culture Creole Seasoning Home-Grill Advantage Louisiana Love All-purpose seasoning MaD All Purpose Cajun Seasoning Mutha Cluckn Wings NextHome Cutting Edge Realty Rusty's Seasoning for Every Stuff Queen's Wings DezMeaux's Boudin Wings weren't the only thing that was enjoyed that day. Live music from three Swamp Land Revival, Sharona Thomas Band, and Coteau Grove played throughout the day, as well as fun jumps, balloon animals, and various local booths. Lines of people filled all 12 booths, ready to eat various flavors of chicken wings. As the boxes filled up with tickets for their favorite flavor, and cheers and laughter grew louder from the teams competing, Keith Domingue with MaD All-Purpose Cajun Seasoning, said they, like everyone else there, were there to support the Gifting Grace Project. 'We enjoy being a part of this event because we are raising money for the kids of Acadiana,' Domingue said. 'We feel very fortunate to do what we do, and we can give back to the community.' This is the third year in a row that Domingue and MaD All Purpose Cajun have competed in Wing Wars of Acadiana: Acadiana's Chicken Wing Festival. This year they cooked up traditional wings with their barbecue rub, and original to help raise money. For a pair of newcomers, Summer Wilkinson and Keith Bearb, this was their first Wing Wars of Acadiana: Acadiana's Chicken Wing Festival. Wilkinson said she has enjoyed her first time here, after being downtown and was told that they should give the event a try. 'I definitely plan on coming back next year,' Wilkinson said. Bearb, who tried pretty much every wing before noon, said that he was impressed with the event and turnout, especially how well-organized the event was. As far as his favorite so far, Bearb said the wings from Bayou Bao Co. Their Korean Fired Chicken Wings became one that he remembered most of all. 'It has a really good crust, sauce, sesame seeds, it was crispy, and it was one of the best flavors,' Bearb said. TKO champ - DezMeaux's Acadiana's Choice Award: Dezmeaux's (105) Bayou Bao (134) Next Home (191) Best traditional wings & professional division: Third place - The Creole Boys/Culture Creole Second place - Louisiana Love First place - DezMeaux's Boudin & Wings Best traditional wings - amateur division: Third place - Home-Grill Advantage First place (tie) - Chateau de Haydell & Next Home / Freetown Best Boneless: Third place - none - only 2 teams Second place - Chateau de Haydell First place - Rusty's Seasoning Best Side dish: Third place - ATF Bistro Second place - Bayou Bao First place - Rusty's Seasoning Best presentation: Freetown Wings / Next Home Realty Fundraising Award: Queens Wings $1377 Spirit award: Rusty's Seasoning Arnold said that 100% of the money raised will go straight to the Gifting Grace Project, and for those who participated in a great cause, she said it doesn't get any better than that. 'They're volunteering their time, their money, and they want to do it in this area, in the heart of the city," Arnold said. 'Every year when we do this, we always ask if they can come out and do this, and every time they tell us yes.' This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Wing Wars heats up downtown Lafayette in support of homeless youth
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Acadiana Workforce Solutions boosts rural job training programs
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — In an effort to bring in new employees, Acadiana Workforce Solutions is using grant funding to give more opportunities to those in rural communities. The healthcare field is the most in-demand field in all of Acadiana. In an effort to bring in new employees, Acadiana Workforce Solutions is looking to give back to those in rural communities. The Country Roads Inclusion Program from Acadian to Workforce Solutions is specifically tailored for people that living in these areas to have access to training and employment. Keithen Domingue, the program's manager said, 'A lot of times people that live in those areas don't have the same connections to employment or the same connections to training.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Domingue then told KLFY 10 The Country Roads Inclusion Program aims to close that gap, by providing hands on training and paid work-based learning experiences to get people ready for various careers in the healthcare field. 'If they are looking for training, there's a program to be able to go through a process that they're going to go through.' Domingue said. 'They didn't connect with a career coach if they were looking for employment on that side, and we're going to pair them up with a professional development coordinator.' Domingue said there is even a plan in place for participants who may struggle with transportation. 'With the help of St Leger Community Action Agency. There's a system in place for those that live up in those areas. They have a system that's going to put each one of those participants in a system and make sure they begin to training and also making sure they get to work.' Domingue said. If anyone is interested in a future in the healthcare field and want to learn more about the program applications can be submitted here. Carencro honors NFL champ, Kevin Faulk, with a new welcome sign Breaux Bridge Teen killed in shooting New Iberia hosts 11th annual Teche Plein Air competition Senate passes fix to avert DC budget cuts Acadiana Workforce Solutions boosts rural job training programs Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
