Game-winning grand slam sends Ponchatoula to state tourney

It was a storybook ending for Ponchatoula softball senior Sydni Stanga in a Division I nonselect quarterfinals against No. 12 East Ascension on Saturday at home.

Stanga, a pitcher and second baseman, stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning with the No. 4 Green Wave team trailing the Spartans 12-10. She crushed a ball on a 2-2 count for an opposite field grand slam to the right-center field gap for a 14-12 win.

“It was surreal,” said Stanga, who finished 4 for 4 with two home runs and five RBIs. “I couldn’t sleep the other night. All my friends and family were at the game and were crying. It was awesome.”

Ponchatoula coach Jeremy Harper said Saturday was one of the best softball atmospheres he’s been a part of in his coaching career.

“The fans on both sides were loud and passionate,” said Harper, who has been the head coach at the school since 2020. “The weather was beautiful, and the field was in great condition. Both teams came ready to compete, and from the outcome of the final scores, both teams came prepared.”

The win was a milestone for the school’s softball program, reaching the state semifinals the first time. This season was the first time the team has made it past the regional round of the bracket.

The Green Wave received a bye in the first round before downing No. 13 Slidell in their regional round game. The team has made it to the regional round only twice before this season, with its most recent effort coming against Hahnville in a bidistrict game last season before the Green Wave fell to eventual state champion St. Amant in the next round.

“That’s the reason why I had so much emotion at the end of the game (on Saturday),” Stanga said. “We were clearly making history, and it’s really awesome for our program. We’ve worked so hard since our freshman year. We are really excited for it.”

The Green Wave finished the regular season with a 22-7 record and sports a veteran starting lineup with seven seniors. Stanga was one of the leaders for the team, as she’s batted .407 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs. The senior was also a starting pitcher for Ponchatoula and has a 17-6 record with a 2.50 ERA in the circle.

Ponchatoula will travel to Sulphur on Thursday where it will take on No. 8 Live Oak at 5 p.m. Friday. While the two teams did not play in the regular season, they are familiar with one another having played in a scrimmage before the season.

“I think the excitement is really going to help us as far as sticking to a normal routine this week,” Stanga said. “This is going to be really good for us.”