Monday Baseball Report: East Jefferson, Chalmette square off for district title

A district title is on the line when East Jefferson battles Chalmette at Noel Suarez Stadium this evening at 5:30 p.m. in the championship game of the District 8-5A tournament.

East Jefferson (16-11) advanced with a 4-2 win over Higgins in the semifinals while Chalmette downed John Ehret 5-1. The Owls won the regular season matchup over the Warriors in dominating fashion by a 14-2 margin in Metairie.

The Owls (10-15) have gotten hot late in the season, winning their last six games and eight of their last night after struggling against a very tough schedule, the toughest in the district, in pre-district play.

Chalmette has reached the playoffs three straight years.

The Owls won the league a year ago and nearly pulled a huge upset in the opening round, falling 3-2 to powerful third seed Sam Houston. In 2016, the 19th-seeded Owls upset 14th seed John Curtis Christian 8-4 in the opening round of the state playoffs.

The Warriors last reached the state playoffs in 2015 in Class 4A as the 32nd seed, falling to top-seeded Tioga 16-2 in five innings in the opening round. East Jefferson has a proud tradition, having won three state championships (1971, 1972, 1978) in Class 4A. The Warriors were also state runner-up in 1963 in Class 3A. Chalmette has never won a state title but the Owls were runner-up in Class 3A in 1969 and in Class 4A in 1977.

Area Prep Baseball Schedule for Monday, Apr. 16
New Orleans Area
District 6-5A
Mandeville at Covington, 6:30 p.m.
Ponchatoula at Hammond, 6:30 p.m.
Slidell at Northshore, 6:30 p.m.
St. Paul’s at Fontainebleau, 6:30 p.m.
District 7-5A
East St. John at Central Lafourche, 6 p.m.
Terrebonne at Hahnville, 4 p.m.
District 8-5A Tournament
Championship game: East Jefferson at Chalmette, 5:30 p.m.
District 9-5A
John Curtis Christian at Archbishop Shaw, 6:30 p.m. at Winterscheidt Stadium
Non-district
Chalmette at Belle Chasse, 6 p.m. at Hebert Field
Warren Easton at Higgins, 4 p.m.
Ben Franklin vs. Newman, 6 p.m. at Avenger Field
Grand Isle vs. Crescent City at Miley, 4 p.m.
Grace King at Pope John Paul II, 6:30 p.m.
Lusher at Helen Cox, 5 p.m.
Northlake Christian vs. Archbishop Hannan at Coquille, 6:30 p.m.
Riverdale vs. De La Salle, 4 p.m. at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium
South Plaquemine vs. Karr, 7 p.m. at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium

Baton Rouge Area
Ascension Christian at McKinley, 4 p.m.
Catholic (BR) at Dutchtown, 6 p.m.
Denham Springs at Live Oak, 6 p.m.
Donaldsonville at Family Christian, 4 p.m.
Northeast at Tara, 4 p.m.
Riverside Academy at Catholic (PC), 4:30 p.m.
Slaughter Community Charter at Ascension Christian, 4 p.m.
St. John at University, 4 p.m.
Walker at Scotlandville, 4 p.m.

Bayou Area
Morgan City at Hanson Memorial, 6 p.m.