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After splitting two close games in their District 7-1A contests this season, the final — and most important matchup — between Central Catholic and Vermilion Catholic Monday in Division IV Regional Round softball action was nothing like the first two.
Behind 12 hits, Central Catholic pounded its way to an 11-0 run-rule victory in five innings in Amelia Monday.
“That’s one of our best offensive performances,” Central Catholic Coach Linda Sanders said. “All the girls contributed from No. 1 to No. 9. … I’m pretty sure everybody got a hit or got on base, which is amazing. I’ve been telling them they need to play with intensity all game long, and this game they played with intensity all game long. They really stepped up, and I’m really proud of those girls.”
Facing the same Vermilion Catholic pitcher, Kelli Frith for the third time this season, the Lady Eagles adjusted and made contact with the ball.
“They know what she has,” Sanders said. “They know she had that good changeup, so a lot of them made some adjustments on that. Pitching batting practice, I kind of threw her same speed, so that they had that going in.”
The Lady Eagles set the tone early as leadoff batter Haley Fontenot began the game with a triple to left field and scored two batters later when she tagged on a foul-out by teammate Brooke Lipari.
Central Catholic scored its second run on an error for a 2-0 lead.
The Lady Eagles scored two runs in the second, including a run-scoring double by Fontenot that brought in teammate Emily Lipari. Fontenot later scored when she stole third base and a throw to try to get her out went into left field with nobody covering the base. She came home for the Lady Eagles’ second run of the inning.
Fontenot finished the game 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, two stolen bases and three runs.
The Lady Eagles broke the game open in the bottom of the third with seven runs.
Back-to-back doubles by Fontenot and Alanni Landry brought in two runs apiece for an 8-0 lead.
Landry scored on a passed ball, and Rylie Jeau Theriot doubled to left field to bring in two more runs for an 11-0 advantage.
While the Lady Eagles’ offense was hot, pitcher Hallie Crappell and the defense also turned in a solid day.
Crappell surrendered just two hits and fanned three in five innings. She threw just 60 pitches.
The Central Catholic defense also committed just one error.
“We’ve been struggling a little bit on our defense all year having errors,” Sanders said. “Today was a great day. I think we had one error as opposed to we’ve had multiple errors in games. They stepped up, and we played solid defense, which was key for us.”
Other top Central Catholic offensive contributors were Theriot, 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs; Landry, 1-for-3, a double, two RBIs and a run; Bailee Lipari, 2-for-3, two runs; and Brooke Lipari, 1-for-2, an RBI and a run.
Frith suffered the loss. In four innings, she surrendered 11 runs — 10 earned — on 12 hits with three walks and three strikeouts.
Offensively, Rosie Hagle led Vermilion Catholic with a 1-for-2 performance with a double.
Central Catholic now will travel to face top-seed Ouachita Christian on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Monroe in the Division IV quarterfinals.

BATON ROUGE — Beyond Louisiana’s never-ending budget arguments, some lower profile disputes over billboards and sales tax collection methods are churning in the legislative session, dividing lawmakers and creating conflicts with outside groups that hold sway at the state capitol.
Two lawmakers are proposing measures aimed at reining in the number of billboards along Louisiana roadways, and the effort has rankled Baton Rouge-based Lamar Advertising Co., one of the nation’s largest outdoor advertising firms with billboards in 45 states and with nearly 500 employees in Louisiana.
The legislation sponsored by Rep. Jack McFarland, a Winnfield Republican, is scheduled for its first hearing Tuesday. He’s seeking to stall the issuance of new state permits for billboards. Lamar has launched a campaign to sink the proposal, along with a similar measure by Sen. Conrad Appel, a Metairie Republican.
McFarland said he’s heard from many people who believe the billboards lead to distracted driving and often contain distasteful images or messages. Until three months ago, he rented space on his own land to companies displaying four billboards. But he had them removed three months ago.
“The perception of the billboards is not a positive. Yes, they do enable businesses to advertise and I’m not against the advertisement of local businesses. But when those billboards occur so frequently, we have to question: Are we creating distracted driving? Are we creating hazards? Are we taking away from the natural beauty?” McFarland said.
But the legislation, which McFarland said would require support from two-thirds of lawmakers to pass, faces a tough road to passage. Lamar Advertising, a powerful and large Louisiana company, is heavily fighting both measures, calling them “anti-business.”
“We consider it an assault on our Louisiana company and more importantly on the many Louisiana owned businesses that work with us every day,” Lamar spokeswoman Allie McAlpin said in a statement.
The company says Louisiana doesn’t rank in the top 10 of states when it comes to billboard inventory, and it says Lamar has cut its number of billboards in Louisiana over the last five years.
While that sparring is intensifying, Rep. Tanner Magee has launched an even larger fight, putting himself at odds with many local elected officials across Louisiana, over their oversight of the state’s sales tax collections.
In Louisiana, parish officials handle sales tax collections. Magee, a Houma Republican, is trying to start the process of a constitutional change to centralize those collections instead, saying Louisiana is one of only two states with a fragmented system.
Magee said the tax collection method doesn’t make sense anymore as businesses have grown larger across multiple parishes and states and do more sales online.
Remitting sales tax collections individually to multiple parishes is “ridiculous. It’s just overly complex,” he said. “What does that tell those businesses about Louisiana? We’re saying we’re backward. We’re saying we’re difficult. We’re saying it’s too complex to do business in Louisiana. We make things way more difficult.”
Several business organizations are backing Magee’s proposal, describing Louisiana’s numerous sales tax collectors as cumbersome, confusing and expensive for compliance.
But local government entities are lining up to oppose the measure, saying improvements have been made in e-filing and other efficiencies while still keeping the power in the hands of local authorities who don’t necessarily trust the state to properly collect and timely allocate the dollars owed to municipalities.
“Local taxing authorities possess the best knowledge and experience to properly collect their own taxes and have a proven record of proactive advancements in the areas of enforcement, audit coverage, dispute resolution, reporting technology and successful litigation,” the Louisiana Municipal Association said in a recent newsletter.
Magee acknowledges the fight he’s picked might not be winnable this session. That’s particularly true in an election year where lawmakers often rely on the support of local elected officials to help them gain voter support.
But Magee’s not giving up.
“I don’t want to fight all the local government entities, and I think there’s a trust issue, which I understand,” he said. “It may take multiple attempts at it, but it’s time to start the conversation and start pushing the ball up the hill.”
Melinda Deslatte has covered Louisiana politics for The Associated Press since 2000. Follow her at http://twitter.com/melindadeslatte

Ruth R. Jackson, 89, a native of Morgan City and resident of Humble, Texas, died Sunday, April 14.
She is survived by five children, Ken Jackson of Richmond, Texas, Nancy Davezac of Baton Rouge, Carol Croyle of Bethesda, Maryland, Mike Jackson of Humble, Texas and Jennifer Dozier of Mandeville; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and one sister, Alice Boudreaux of Kingwood, Texas.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband and two sons.
Visitation will be Tuesday, 6-8 p.m., and resume Wednesday at 8 a.m. until services at 10 a.m. at Hargrave Funeral Home, who is in charge of arrangements. Burial will follow in Morgan City Cemetery.