Baseball: State tourney opens Wednesday in Sulphur

Forty-eight high school baseball teams from 12 classes and divisions will descend on Sulphur’s McMurry Park beginning Wednesday for the Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Baseball State Tournament.

Six of the 12 brackets play semifinals Wednesday and championship games Friday. The other six play their semifinal matchups Thursday and finals Saturday.

At least that’s how the schedule reads. As of Tuesday night, weather.com lists the rain chances in Sulphur at 40 percent on Wednesday, 50 percent on Thursday and 90 percent on Friday and Saturday.

The only area team in action Wednesday is St. Thomas Aquinas. Coach Barrett Morgan’s squad, the No. 2 seed in Division III, meets third-seeded Ascension Episcopal at 8 p.m.

The Falcons (24-9) swept Newman to advance to the semifinals. St. Thomas Aquinas is the highest-seeded team remaining in the Division III bracket after top-seeded Dunham was knocked off by Catholic-New Iberia in the quarterfinals.

Sam Smith had a team-best five hits in the Newman series, including a 4-for-4 outing in the clinching game. John Blanchard was the winning pitcher in the first game of the series and had three hits, including a homer.

It is the Falcons’ third state tournament appearance in the last four years.

The other area teams in the semifinals – Lakeshore in Class 4A, Kentwood in Class 1A, Archbishop Rummel, St. Paul’s and Brother Martin in Division I and St. Charles Catholic in Division II – all play their semifinal games on Thursday.

Action takes place across three fields for the semifinals and two fields for the title games.

LHSAA Baseball Brackets

CLASS 5A CLASS 4A CLASS 3A CLASS 2A CLASS 1A CLASS B CLASS C

DIV I DIV II DIV III DIV IV DIV V

Allstate Sugar Bowl LHSAA Baseball State Tournament
at McMurry Park, Sulphur

Class 5A
Semifinals – Thursday
(5) West Monroe vs. (1) Barbe, 5 p.m.
(3) Parkway vs. (2) Sam Houston, 8 p.m.
Championship – Saturday (televised on CST)
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.

Class 4A
Semifinals – Thursday
(4) Tioga vs. (1) Benton, 11 a.m.
(3) Breaux Bridge vs. (2) Lakeshore, 2 p.m.
Championship – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m.

Class 3A
Semifinals – Thursday
(4) Berwick vs. (1) Sterlington, 10:30 a.m.
(10) Iowa vs. (3) South Beauregard, 1:30 p.m.
Championship – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.

Class 2A
Semifinals – Wednesday
(8) Loreauvile vs. (5) Kinder, 4:30 p.m.
(3) Welsh vs. (2) Doyle, 7:30 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 5:30 p.m.

Class 1A
Semifinals – Thursday
(4) Kentwood vs. (1) Grand Lake, 10 a.m.
(10) Merryville vs. (6) Oberlin, 1 p.m.
Championship – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 11:30 a.m.

Class B
Semifinals – Wednesday
(5) Glenmora vs. (1) Pitkin, 4 p.m.
(3) Converse vs. (2) Quitman, 7 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m.

Class C
Semifinals – Wednesday
(13) Kilbourne vs. (1) Summerfield, 10 a.m.
(3) Harrisonburg vs. (2) Simpson, 1 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 11:30 a.m.

Division I
Semifinals – Thursday (both games on ESPN 100.3 FM)
(4) Archbishop Rummel vs. (1) Catholic-BR, 4:30 p.m.
(3) St. Paul’s vs. (2) Brother Martin, 7:30 p.m.
Championship – Saturday (televised on CST)
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.

Division II
Semifinals – Thursday
(5) Parkview Baptist vs. (1) University Lab, 4 p.m.
(6) St. Charles Catholic vs. (2) St. Thomas More, 7 p.m.
Championship – Saturday (televised on CST)
Semifinal winners, noon

Division III
Semifinals – Wednesday
(8) Catholic-NI vs. (4) Calvary Baptist, 5 p.m.
(3) Ascension Episcopal vs. (2) St. Thomas Aquinas, 8 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.

Division IV
Semifinals – Wednesday
(6) Opelousas Catholic vs. (2) Ascension Catholic, 11 a.m.
(5) Central Catholic vs. (1) Ouachita Christian, 2 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.

Division IV
Semifinals – Wednesday
(6) Opelousas Catholic vs. (2) Ascension Catholic, 11 a.m.
(5) Central Catholic vs. (1) Ouachita Christian, 2 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.

Division IV
Semifinals – Wednesday
(5) Runnels vs. (1) Claiborne Christian, 10:30 a.m.
(3) Family Community vs. (2) Northside Christian, 1:30 p.m.
Championship – Friday
Semifinal winners, noon