Monthly Archives: June 2020

Ten years ago as a Portsmouth Christian Academy seventh-grader, Ryan McKenna played a key role in the Eagles run to the schools first Division IV state baseball championship.

By Mike Whaley / mwhaley@seacoastonline.com

Editors Note: This is the second in an ongoing series on significant local sporting moments and events from the past decade.

Former St. Thomas Aquinas High School and Portsmouth Christian Academy baseball star Ryan McKenna is still chasing his dream to play major league baseball.

In his sixth season with the Baltimore Orioles organization, McKenna, 23, was added to the Orioles 40-man roster during the offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. On March 6 he was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk.

Ten years ago as a Portsmouth Christian Academy seventh-grader, McKenna played a key role in the Eagles run to the schools first Division IV state baseball championship.

Five years later, led by righty ace Wes Tobin, PCA won its second D-IV state crown. Had McKenna, a resident of Berwick, Maine, not transferred to St. Thomas after his freshman year, he would have been a senior on that PCA squad.

But in 2010, the Eagles entered the season without much to show in the way of postseason success. In fact that championship year began with three straight losses.

The kids were getting down on themselves, recalled assistant coach Marty McKenna, the father of two PCA players, Sean and Ryan. Then they were able to reel off some wins and build some confidence.

Looking back, Marty said, The mindset coming in wasnt of high expectations because of the history and being a smaller school. A lot of kids came out to have fun. Winning might have been secondary.

Head coach Chip Andrews and Marty were able to change that approach to being the best we could be and getting the best out of the kids, Marty said.

The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association allows under Grade 9 participation, but only in Division IV can seventh graders play, and only when the roster is diminished.

Ryan McKenna, called Mini-Mac by his teammates, started the season with the junior high squad, but several injuries necessitated pulling up a player or two from the junior high team.

I talked to Chip, said Marty. I told him I think (Ryan) can help us. He can catch a fly ball. He can get us some hits. It was kind of a miracle he was able to come up and help us. So many kids across the board were part of this.

PCA ended the regular season with a 9-5 record, good for the sixth seed in the D-IV tournament. In the first round, the Eagles dispatched No. 11 Derryfield, 6-1, behind a Connor Andrews six-hitter.

In the quarters, the Eagles upset No. 3 Lisbon with a wild 10-8 win in nine innings. PCA led 7-2, but Lisbon came back to tie it up 8-8 to force extra innings.

With the Panthers rallying in the bottom of the seventh, the Eagles called in catcher Mitch Colizzi, who had not pitched all season, to put out the fire. He did that and then pitched two additional shutout innings for the win.

In the ninth, Sean McKenna walked, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run on Kris Sabas double. Ryan McKennas sac fly plated Saba with an insurance run.

PCA got a break in the semis when talented No. 2 Pittsfield had some key players suspended and was upset by No. 7 Sunapee. Pittsfield had beaten the Eagles twice during the season.

PCA fell behind early to Sunapee, 3-1, but a four-run second put it ahead for good, 5-3, and a four-run fourth put it away. Andrews did the rest. In addition to hitting a key two-run single during the fourth inning uprising, he pitched well after a rocky start. He allowed just one run over the final five innings.

A couple of junior high kids paced the offense. Mini-Mac was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, while eighth-grader Ryan Lemire went 2 for 2 with two walks and a run.

No. 1 and defending champion Pittsburg was the final opponent at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester.

Pittsburg was just a strong hitting team, Marty said. They could pretty much hit any fastball, and Mitch and Sean realized early in the game they were struggling with the curveball. So Sean probably threw 80% curveballs. He was dialed in. They were just swinging and missing.

It was tied 1-1 after six innings. In the top of the seventh, Ricky Gilberts second hit of the day, a bloop single, put the go-ahead run on first. Andrew Cunningham was summoned to pinch run. Sean McKenna came up and belted a triple to the left-field warning track, scoring Cunningham all the way from first base to put PCA ahead, 2-1.

Sean was able to close the deal in the bottom of the seventh. I remember Isaac Moore catching the final out and the celebration, Marty said. It was almost surreal. You didnt expect it.

He pauses for a second. When I look back at all the pieces that went into winning that championship, a movie has to be made because it was so improbable.

Improbable was not the case for the 2015 Eagles, who went 12-4 during the regular season to earn the No. 3 seed.

PCA also had a legit ace in Tobin, who ended up going 9-0 that season.

But the start, like 2010, was not smooth. The Eagles went 1-2 out of the gate, including a mercy-rule loss to rival Newmarket. It was painful for Tobin who was suspended after being thrown out of the previous game. He had to spend the Newmarket game on the bench as a spectator. It was not fun to just sit and watch, he said.

We had a gut-check moment where the season could have gone one of two ways, said coach Brad Taylor. We had Connor Foley, a senior captain. His leadership ... he really stepped up. Foley got it. We missed him the following year in our repeat attempt.

Foley also elevated his game as the Eagles No. 2 pitcher behind Tobin.

It was a deep team. It was a terrific group of guys, said Tobin, currently an ace pitcher at Southern New Hampshire University. We had a lot of talent for Division IV New Hampshire baseball.

In the first round, Tobin tossed a no-hitter, whiffing 19 as the Eagles blanked No. 14 Lisbon, 9-0. He struck out the first 13 batters he faced.

Catcher Joe Towle paced the offense, going 4 for 4 with four runs batted in.

The quarterfinal against No. 6 Woodsville proved a struggle. PCA trailed 4-3 in the fourth before finally pulling ahead for good, sparked by an Ethan Foley suicide squeeze bunt. The Eagles went on to win 10-5, led by Drew McCormack who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs.

Next up was perennial tournament contender and rival Newmarket, the No. 7 seed. The Eagles almost blew them out.

Almost.

PCA scored nine runs in the first two innings to go up 9-0, led by Paul Staude, who had a monster offensive game, going 3 for 4 with six RBIs. He hit a three-run triple in the first and a two-run double in the second to ignite the PCA bats.

The Mules, however, refused to wilt. They touched Tobin for three runs in the fifth to cut the lead to 9-3. Taylor elected to pull his tiring ace after throwing 81 pitches so he could be available for the championship on Saturday.

At the time, the NHIAA pitching rule was based on innings, not pitch counts. If you pitched more than five full innings then you needed three full days of rest. Since the game was played on a Wednesday and Tobin came out after five, he was good to go for the final. Had he thrown at least one pitch in the sixth, he would have been on the shelf.

PCA just needed Connor Foley to close the door over the final two innings.

If your No. 2 pitcher is not good enough to hold a six-run lead then were not going to win a state championship anyway, was how coach Taylor put it.

Foley got the job done, allowing one run in two innings to send PCA to the championship game in Manchester with a 10-4 win.

Sunapee, PCAs championship opponent, was not as fortunate.

The Lakers pulled their ace, Ben Robinson, after the fifth with a big lead, but it dissolved and he had to return in the seventh inning to put out the fire and save the game. However, he found himself unable to pitch in the championship due to the pitching rule.

I still think we would have handled (Robinson) OK, Taylor said. That team, that year, the depth of our lineup ... we were stronger than 2016, although a lot of the guys came back.

The way Tobin pitched, it didnt matter.

PCA jumped out to a 4-0 lead and rolled from there, taking the title, 10-1. Like he had in the first playoff game, Tobin whiffed 19 batters while throwing a one-hitter. His 49 Ks in three playoff games could well be a tournament record.

He gave up his only run in the third inning, walking four batters to account for Sunapees lone run.

Towle led the offense, going 3 for 4 with three RBIs and two runs. Tobin helped his cause with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate, a double, a run and two intentional walks.

One thing was for certain, Tobin was not coming out. My competitive nature and wanting to win and wanting to win very badly that year, especially that year, he said, I just kept on going.

If nothing else, Tobin seemed to throw harder later in the game. Sunapee coach Thomas Frederick said as much.

He owned the hill today, Frederick said. You tip your cap to him. I thought hed be a little tired after throwing (81 pitches) the other day. Once he was over 120, I thought he kept getting stronger.

Tobin said, I was just on pure adrenaline and competitiveness getting to that point and not wanting to lose.

After those two championship wins, the Eagles seemed lined up for more titles, but it was not to be. Two years later, in 2012, the two McKennas led PCA to an undefeated record and the top seed in the tournament, but they were upset in the semis by yes good old Newmarket.

In 2016, the Eagles flew high again, but it all ended in the semis to Sunapee and Ben Robinson. Tobin took the loss, his first in two years after winning 19 straight.

Taylor laughs. People say you won because you had Wes Tobin, he recalled. We like to say we won it without Ryan McKenna.

Ryan McKenna did not respond to multiple requests to participate in this story.

More:

Seacoast Sports Decade Series: Mini-Mac, Tobin and the ascension of PCA baseball - Seacoastonline.com

Coronavirus testing set for Sorrento

Ochsner has expanded its community coronavirus testing efforts across the Capital Area.

Locations are secured in cooperation with government officials and focus on testing near local hot spots. Testing across the region will continue through the remainder of 2020 based on community need.

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Testing is open to Louisiana residents, age two and older. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms, youre encouraged to get tested to learn your COVID-19 status. Doctors orders are not required. People coming for testing are required to bring a picture ID and insurance card, if applicable. There are no out-of-pocket costs for those seeking a test and no one will be turned away based on their insurance status. Testing is available at the times listed or until all test kits have been utilized.

Ochsners investment in enhanced community testing is a critical step towards a continued safe reopening, said Eric McMillen, CEO, Ochsner Baton Rouge. I encourage everyone to come for a test to know your status. Weve seen several positive cases with no symptoms.

Community members will receive their test results within 72 hours via the MyChart patient portal or by phone. Those who test positive can participate in Ochsners 14-day symptom tracker program designed for COVID-19 patients who do not require hospital care. Participants receive daily text messages to monitor symptoms and can be connected to a 24/7 nurse on-call line for additional support. In addition to offering community testing, Ochsner has the following resources available:

Free Ochsner information line at (844) 888-2772 for 24/7 advice and COVID-19 information

Schedule a video visit with an Ochsner provider and ask follow-up questions through secure messages using MyOchsner

Urgent Care by video through http://www.ochsner.org/virtualvisits or via the Ochsner Anywhere Care app

In-person appointments at one of 13 Ochsner Health Centers across Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes including Ochsner Cancer Center Baton Rouge

To make an appointment, call 225-761-5200, or visit http://www.Ochsner.org/BatonRouge. To learn more about COVID-19, visit http://www.ochsner.org/coronavirus.

Local testing sites include:

Wednesday, June 3

9 a.m. 5 p.m. Sorrento Civic Center

7471 Main St., Sorrento

Thursday, June 4

9 a.m. 5 p.m. Sorrento Civic Center

River Region Art Association is opening its Summer Art Camp on June 15 at its Depot Gallery in Gonzales.

Summer Art Camp will be held June 1519, June 22-26, June 29 -July 3, July 1217, July 20 -24, July 2731 and Aug. 37.

Age groups and times are: ages 610 attend 9 a.m. to noon and ages 1215 and older attend 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Fee for summer camp is $100 per week. A camp registration form is available at rraa@riverregionartassociation.org.

A limit of 8 youths in each week of camp has been set in order to maintain the safe 6 foot distance requirement in the classroom. Masks are to be worn by all including teachers, sanitizing is done before and after class and students will have their own supplies for the week of class.

For any additional information, leave a message at (225) 644-8496.

Tanger Outlets will host the La. 621 Farmers Market near Shopper Services Suite 299 during June.

Locally-sourced products will be abailable from 7 am. to noon each Saturday in June. Products include fresh fruits and vegetables, farm fresh eggs, artisan breads, honey, jams/jellies, pickled eggs and vegetables, tamales, kettle corn, baked goods and specialty food items.

Link:

Around Ascension for June 3, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate

For years, if you came into the emergency room with a pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in the lungs or a vein, typically in the leg), doctors would put you on a medication to try to break up the clot as well as to thin the blood.

Those medications, though, come with side effects that include bleeding in the brain or having part of the clot break off and travel somewhere you dont want them, like the heart.

Patients with the most serious cases, at immediate risk of death, would go immediately into surgery, says Dr. Peter Monteleone, interventional cardiologist at Seton Heart Institute.

This year, though, hes been using a technique to get rid of blood clots that are serious but not the most critical or the most benign.

Its the whole group in the middle, he says.

Monteleone is using the Inari FlowTriever for pulmonary embolisms. Using ultrasound to guide him, he inserts a guide wire through a vein to go through the clot in the lung. Then he inserts the FlowTriever catheter into the vein to reach the clot.

He deploys the FlowTrievers three self-expanding nitinol (metal alloy) mesh disks. The disks attach to the clot and dislodge it. He then drags the clot back through the catheter to a syringe that is attached to the catheter outside the body.

Its a bit like a plumbers snake inside the body, gripping the clog and bringing it back through the pipe to the surface.

If the patient has a deep vein thrombosis, he uses the Inari ClotTriever, which acts similarly. A guide wire is inserted through a vein through the clot. The catheter with the ClotTriever is inserted through the clot. Then he deploys the nitinol ClotTriever, which looks like a cylindrical net, and grabs the clot. He can then drag it back through the catheter and into a collection bag outside the body. The ClotTriever also has a nitinol funnel by the catheter that keeps the clot from escaping as its being sucked into the catheter.

Both procedures can be done in about half an hour with the patient under light sedation, which means they are awake but not in pain.

Its not a big surgery, Monteleone says.

Patients are put on blood thinners to prevent new clots from forming, but they dont have to worry about the clot that was just removed migrating somewhere dangerous like the heart.

Signs of a pulmonary embolism include shortness of breath and pressure in the chest, dizziness or lightheadedness, a cough or coughing up blood. Deep vein thrombosis comes with swelling or pain in the leg, a feeling of warmth in the leg and redness in the leg.

Monteleone and his colleagues have been seeing fewer people coming into the emergency room for care like heart attacks, strokes and other serious problems like embolisms because of concerns about COVID-19.

There are processes in place to keep them safe, he says. It is heartbreaking to know there are these therapies for patients that are treatments, and were not seeing them because they are scared.

More:

New embolism, deep vein thrombosis treatments at Ascension Seton remove clots, reduce risks - austin360

AUSTIN (KXAN) An Austin mom held her new baby for the first time after recovering from a scary battle with COVID-19.

The woman, identified only as Brenda by Ascension Seton Medical Center, was in the hospital for more than a month and was so ill that she was placed on a ventilator.

However, this week she was finally discharged from the hospital and was able to finally meet her baby.

Ascension Seton said Brenda was 35 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital with worsening symptoms of COVID-19.

She had a C-section but was then placed on a ventilator in the ICU for 24 days as she fought for her life.

Emotional footage shows staff at Ascension Seton cheering as Brenda was pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair.

Read more:

Mom meets her baby after spending three weeks on a ventilator during COVID-19 battle at Austin hospital - KXAN.com

Dawn Rudolph, Guest columnist Published 12:00 a.m. CT June 6, 2020

Over the past few weeks, many people postponed care for almost all of their health needs from elective procedures and surgeries to vaccinations, and from routine checkups to important health screenings. These extraordinary measures were necessary to meet the critical care needs of patients and communities across the state of Florida.

Ascension Sacred Heart is fully prepared to provide all of the important health care and procedures that patients might need urgently, have put off during this time or have been considering. Balancing care with caution, we have added strict safety precautions to help protect both patients and caregivers. And we continuously monitor guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, then adjust safety precautions accordingly.

Dawn Rudolph(Photo: Courtesy of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola)

These precautions include:

Emergency rooms across the country are reporting that fewer people who suffer heart attacks, strokes and serious injuries are coming to ERs to get the critical care they need. Avoiding care can make these conditions worse or recovery more difficult. For example, even a small delay in seeing care for a stroke can be the difference between recovery and permanent disability.

Delaying care for chronic conditions, routine appointments and screenings could also impact a persons long-term health. Whether its rescheduling a delayed visit or scheduling care for a new health concern, overall health is too important to delay.

We have added more options for receiving care, including the ability to see your Ascension Medical Group doctor virtually, when it makes sense. While insurance coverage limited virtual care we were able to provide before the pandemic, we launched virtual visits with our local providersin March. For the past six weeks, they have averaged 2,500 virtual visits a week. We will be advocating that this openness to virtual visits remain in effect from now on for the convenience of our patients.

Our doors have remained open to patients who have needed us for urgent or emergency care, and we are now scheduling for all types of care. Regular follow-up visits, surgeries whatever the need, were here for you. From the routine, to important care and emergency care, patients can get the care they need, when they need it, even now:

Dawn Rudolph is the president of Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola.

Read or Share this story: https://www.pnj.com/story/opinion/2020/06/06/compassion-and-safety-heart-essential-care-guestview/3135313001/

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Compassion and safety at the heart of essential care | Guestview - Pensacola News Journal

By the time the next softball season begins, it will be a new decade. Here is a look back at some of the best Ascension softball players of this decade, years 2010-2020.

Unfortunately, the Coronavirus pandemic cancelled the second half of the high-school softball season, not allowing the parishs best players to finish what they started

With no games being played, it prompts us to look to the past and reflect on all of the great parish players that had memorable careers.

By the time the next softball season begins, it will be a new decade. Here is a look back at some of the best Ascension softball players of this decade, years 2010-2020.

Its no surprise that St. Amant had so many special players over the years. In this decade, they made five state semifinal appearances and won a state title in 2019.

Kara Gremillion was so good at St. Amant that they retired her jersey soon after she graduated.

Gremillion was an All-American with the Lady Gators and helped lead St. Amant to the semifinals in two or her final three years there. In her senior season, he hit .548 with 38 RBIs.

She went on to be a four-year starter and three-time All-Sun Belt player at UL-Lafayette.

Her younger sister Kourtney was a starter on the 2015 St. Amant team that reached the semifinals.

She had a monster year in 2016 as a seniorhitting .602 with 13 home runs and 62 RBIs. That was enough to earn her All-American honors.

Kourtney went on to start at UL-Lafayette, where she made All-Sun Belt two years in a row.

Another starter on that 2015 semifinal team was Taylor Tidwell. Tidwell started all four years at St. Amant.

As a senior, she broke the schools season-season home run record with 17. She also hit .598 with 53 RBIs. It led to her being named an All-American.

Tidwell went on to sign with LSU. As a sophomore this past season, Tidwell started 17 games and was hitting .351 with 14 RBIs and three home runs. Unfortunately, the season was cut short due to the virus.

Madison Edmonston was an all-district player that hit nearly .600 her senior season at St. Amant. She helped lead the Lady Gators to the semifinals in both 2012 and 2013.

She went on to have two huge seasons at LSU-Eunice. She then transferred to Southeastern, where she was an all-conference player.

Another player in the parish to have her jersey retired was Bailey Landry.

Landry helped lead East Ascension to the state semifinals in 2011. As a senior in 2013, she was named an All-American.

Landry went on to play at LSU, where she now holds school records for longest hitting streak (21 games), most hits in a season (92) and all-time hits (291).

She also played professionally.

Jessie Watts was her teammate at East Ascension. She was a four-year starter that helped lead the Lady Spartans to the semifinals in 2015.

As a senior in 2016, she was named the districts Co-MVP.

Watts went on to play at UL-Monroe. Before the season was cancelled, she had started all 24 games and was hitting .355 with 19 RBIs as a senior.

Claire Weinberger was also a four-year starter at East Ascension, and she was also on the 2015 semifinal squad.

Weinberger was first-team All-State as a senior, hitting .582.

She went on to play at LSU for four years. This past season as a senior, she had started four games.

Aleah Creighton was a first-team All-State performer for Dutchtown in 2013. She was the teams best hitter and best pitcher.

Creighton went on to play at UL-Lafayette, where she was a two-time All-Sun Belt performer.

Ali McCoy was a four-year starter at Dutchtown. She helped lead the Lady Griffins to the state title game in 2015.

As a senior in 2016, McCoy was named the Co-MVP of the district.

She went on to play at Southeastern. Before the rest of 2020 was cancelled, she had started 21 games and was hitting .321.

Alayna Falcon was a big-time player for Ascension Catholic. As a senior in 2011, she was first-team All-State and the districts MVP.

Falcon went on to play four years at LSU. As a senior, she made eight starts.

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Parish softball players of the decade - Weekly Citizen