JOURNAL SPORTS
LAFAYETTE – The Bossier Phillies play for their third straight Louisiana American Legion Baseball Tournament championship today after outlasting Crowley 8-7 in a 11-inning semifinal Tuesday night.
Bossier (17-2) meets Gauthier-Amedee Legion Post 557 today at 4 and can capture the tourney title with a win in that contest, or an “if necessary” game that would follow. The Phillies are 4-0 in the state tournament, including a 5-1 victory over Gauthier-Amedee Monday night.
The Gonzales-based team rebounded Tuesday afternoon in the loser’nwice today to survive and advance to the regional championship tournament.
The Phillies never trailed Tuesday night but escaped Crowley chances to win in the bottom of the seventh and eighth. Bossier’s winning margin came when Griffin Sibley led off the 11th with a double to right field, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a two-out wild pitch.
The Millers put back-to-back batters on base with two out in the bottom half, but a grounder to second base ended the contest.
Cooper Holmes collected four RBI for the Phillies with a first-inning, bases-loaded clearing double, followed by a solo homer in the third inning on his next at-bat that put Bossier back on top 4-3. Crowley had answered Holmes’ first-inning burst with three in the home half.
The teams swapped scores in the fourth inning, with Nate Cervantes providing the Phillies’ run on a sacrifice fly that brought in Greer, who led off with a walk.
Bossier carried a 6-4 lead to the bottom of the seventh after Jackson Waller homered to right field opening the inning. Crowley loaded the bases with one out and closed within one on a passed ball. After a popup for the second out, with the go-ahead runner at second, the Millers tied it on Peyton Daigle’s sharp single to center field that moved the winning run to third. A fly out halted the rally and sent the game to extra innings.
The Phillies bounced back immediately. Kannon Greer led off reaching on an error, then Cole Snell was hit by a pitch and after a sacrifice bunt by Case Jorden, Cervantes was intentionally walked to fill the bases.
Waller again delivered, with a sacrifice fly to center for a 7-6 edge, but a ground out stranded Bossier’s two baserunners.
Crowley tied it by starting the bottom of the eighth with a double and a Hudson Daigle single, and with two outs, loaded the bases before Landon Devillier lined out to Snell in center field.
Bossier had runners at the corners with two out in the 10th but couldn’t convert. The Phillies cashed in an inning later when Sibley doubled and scored the decisive run.
It was the longest game of the summer for Bossier.
Crowley finished 14-6 with four losses unfolding in the final inning.
The Phillies are trying to win not only a third straight state title, but also make it three consecutive regional crowns and a third World Series appearance in a row.