Thursday was special for the Catholic High baseball team in many ways.

Coach David Jordan, who is retiring as head coach after this season, and the six seniors on the roster won the official final regular season game against visiting Erath in a matchup of top Division III programs. 

Senior pitcher Jace Ruskoski threw a four-hitter over five innings with eight strikeouts and two walks in the 4-1 win.

“Unbelievable,” said Jordan, who will stay on as athletic director. “Jace’s ability to get out of jams was pretty phenomenal.”

Erath (18-10), which is No. 2 in the Division III nonselect power ratings, got the leadoff hitter on base in each of the first four innings, but Ruskoski kept the Bobcats off the scoreboard as the Panthers built a 4-0 lead.

In the first inning, center fielder J.D. Hidalgo caught a fly ball with one out and fired a strike to catcher Cohen Evans, who tagged out Erath base runner Landen Derouen for a double play. 

“I can’t believe he’s not in the SEC,” Jordan said of Hidalgo. “I think he will be one day. He’s that good of a baseball player. He’s going to play at Southwest Mississippi Community College. I think he’ll end up at Mississippi State one day.”

Erath loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning. Ruskoski struck out the next two hitters, and Hidalgo made a running catch in the gap. Evans threw out a base runner in the second inning.

Ruskoski struck out the side in the fifth and was relieved by sophomore Luke Hewitt after the Bobcats led off the sixth inning with consecutive hits. 

“That was a tough decision on when to pull him because he was throwing so well,” Jordan said. “I felt like his better innings were at the back end. Their lineup had seen Jace three times. I didn’t want them to see him a fourth.”

Hewitt struck out four in two innings with two walks to nail down a save. The Bobcats scored one run in the sixth inning on a walk with the bases loaded.

“That’s what we expect from Luke,” said Jordan, whose pitching staff has allowed one run in the last 33 innings. “He’s lights out.”

The Panthers, who will play two exhibition games against Rayne next week, scored twice in the second and third frames. Hidalgo and Owen Morris walked to lead off the second and advanced on a double steal. Third baseman Izaac Andre hit an RBI groundout. Morris then stole third base and scored on an errant throw. 

“We’ve been running the bases really well,” Jordan said. “Coach Jesse (Jordan) has done a great job with them. A lot of our guys have the green light (to steal).”

Shortstop Maddox Nacol and first baseman Lane Fenske collected the first two hits of the game to lead off the bottom of the third. Nacol scored on a throwing error. Evans followed with an RBI single. 

“Base hits weren’t many but we put them all together,” Jordan said. “We got them all at one time, which was really good to see. Something we haven’t done a whole lot was hit the ball the other way. We had three hitters go to the opposite field. It was nice to see us going with the pitches.”

Erath outhit the Panthers 5-4. Fenske led CHS with two hits. For Erath, Derouen and Braxton Richard had two hits apiece from the first two spots in the lineup. 

CHS (18-9) is No. 3 in the Division III select power ratings behind Parkview Baptist and University. Parkview Baptist swept U-High in a two-game series this week. If the power ratings remain unchanged, Catholic High would travel to U-High in the semifinals, which won’t be played in Sulphur this season.

“I just needed some time to catch my breath and calm down,” Ruskoski said of escaping the bases loaded jam. “I switched balls out and then struck them out.”

Jordan was coaching against his former assistant, EHS head coach Jeremy Picard. 

“It was a great way to go out,” Jordan said of winning on Senior Night in his final season. “It happened to be against the only other place I’ve been in my 34-year career. I spent six years at Erath and 28 at Catholic High.”

The CHS seniors are Luke Landry, Jack Romero, Gavin Roy, Fenske, Hidalgo and Ruskoski.