Three Rapides Parish high school baseball teams have reached the state tournament in Sulphur and will play semifinal games in their divisions, hoping to win and advance to LHSAA championship contests this weekend.
All games are single-elimination. The first three rounds in Divisions I, II and III were best-of-three series.
Grace Christian takes on Family Community today at 2 o’clock at McMurry Park in Sulphur in a Select Division V semifinal. Third-seeded Grace Christian eliminated another parish team, Oak Hill, last Friday in the quarterfinals, prevailing 13-6.
Second-seeded Family Community drilled Alexandria Country Day 16-1 to reach today’s semifinal.
Top-seeded Avoyelles Charter meets No. 4 Claiborne Christian in the other Select Division V semi. The championship game is 11 a.m. Friday.
Menard moved into the Select Division III semifinals by sweeping a road series at Pope John Paul I, 3-0 and 1-0, last Thursday and Friday. The Eagles, seeded seventh, surprised the No. 2-seeded hosts and now will encounter the third-seed, Notre Dame of Crowley, Wednesday at 11 in Sulphur.
Top-seeded St. Charles and No. 4 Dunham are on the other side of the semifinal bracket. The championship game is set for 5 p.m. Friday.
In Division I, after surprising No. 3 ASH in a decisive third game Saturday, No. 7 Pineville takes on second-seeded Jesuit Thursday at 2. The other semi pits No. 1 Catholic of Baton Rouge against No. 13 Rummel, with the state final at 5 Saturday afternoon.
Buckeye’s playoff push ended in the quarterfinals. The No. 6 Panthers traveled to Lafayette and were dumped 13-1, 12-1 by third-seeded St. Thomas More last Thursday and Friday.
