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No. 25 seed Morgan City gave No. 8 seed Belle Chasse all it wanted, but in the end, the Cardinals had a little bit more, avoiding an upset bid with a 4-3 victory in 11 innings in Class 4A bi-district action in Belle Chasse Monday.
With one out in the bottom of the 11th inning and Belle Chase trailing 3-2, the Cardinals’ Erin Ragas deposited a 2-1 pitch into right-centerfield for a two-run double to end a marathon game and lift Belle Chasse to a 4-3 victory.
"I told my guys to keep their heads up as this is a very emotional loss for us,” first-year Morgan City coach Joel Dagile told Nola.com/The Times Picayune. “It was an uphill battle for this team having different coaches every year, but all year long, we've stressed to this team that we just have to keep getting better.
“We tell them to trust their teammates, and I feel like we did that today,” Daigle added. “Sometimes you have to take what you want, and we failed to do that tonight. We had the opportunity to put this game away twice, and we couldn't do it, but I am extremely proud of how my guys battled."
While the game was low scoring, the teams had plenty of opportunities throughout as each team left 10 runners on base, including eight in scoring position.
Early on, Morgan City (15-20) had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings but could not push a run across.
Belle Chasse (24-9), which stranded a runner a third in the second inning, finally got on board in the fourth when Rylan Thayer reached base on a two-out error and scored one batter later on Holden Dejean’s single to right field for a 1-0 Belle Chasse advantage.
The Tigers tied the game at 1 in the sixth when Ethan Nguyen, who led off the inning with a walk, eventually scored on a fielder’s choice.
Morgan City starting pitcher Logan Tingle retired the Cardinals in order in the next two innings, including striking out the side in the sixth inning, but Belle Chasse threatened to end the game in the bottom of the seventh. Dejean led off the inning with a double, but he was caught stealing for the inning’s third out.
The Tigers took a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth when Nguyen, who led off the inning with a walk, scored on Morrquise Charles’ double.
In the bottom of the eighth, Matt Barthelemy connected on a one-out double and scored two batters later with two outs on D’Angelo’s double to left field.
Morgan City stranded a runner at third base in the ninth, and Belle Chasse left runners on third base in the bottom of the ninth and 10th innings.
Morgan City’s Alex Brocato, who singled to open the 11th, scored with two outs on Kade Dupre’s single to centerfield for a 3-2 Morgan City lead.
In the bottom of the 11th, Dejean walked, advanced to second on Isaac Phillips’ single, stole third base, and he and Phillips scored with one out on Ragas’ walk-off double to end the game.
Mark Plaisance earned the win in relief of Barthelemy. In four innings, Plaisance surrendered one run (one unearned) on three hits with three walks and seven strikeouts.
Barthelemy pitched the game’s first seven innings and surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits with five walks, one hit batter and 10 strikeouts.
Barthelemy and Dejean led the Belle Chasse offense. Barthelemy finished 3-for-5 with a double, a stolen base and a run, while Dejean was 3-for-4 with a double, four stolen bases and a run. Other top Belle Chasse offensive contributors were: Phillips, 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run; Ragas, 1-for-3, a double and two RBIs; and D’Angelo, 1-for-3, a double, an RBI and a stolen base.
Chris Pitre, the final of three Morgan City pitchers, suffered the loss. In 0.1 innings, he surrendered one run (one earned) on two hits.
Tingle pitched the game’s first eight innings. He surrendered two runs (one earned) on eight hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts.
Charles pitched two innings and surrendered one run (one earned) on one hit with five walks and three strikeouts.
Offensively, Charles led Morgan City with a 2-for-4 performance with a double and an RBI. Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Mitchell Mancuso, 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI, and Dupre, 1-for-5, an RBI.
Belle Chasse will continue postseason play this weekend when it meets the winner of No. 9 Benton and No. 24 Pearl River in a best-of-three series. Benton and Pearl River will meet Tuesday at 5 p.m. in Benton.

Three Patterson men were arrested on burglary charges in Morgan City attempting to take items worth over $1,200 out of a shed, Morgan City Police Chief James Blair said in a news release.

—Victor J. Billiot, 29, of Shady Grove in Patterson, was arrested at 11:54 a.m. Monday on charges of simple burglary, criminal trespassing, theft of $1,000 to $5,000 and possession of marijuana.

—Dustin P. Fitch, 30, of Shady Grove in Patterson, was arrested at 11:54 a.m. Monday on charges of simple burglary, criminal trespassing, theft of $1,000 to $5,000 and possession of marijuana.

—Dustin Aucoin, 26, of Main Street in Patterson, was arrested at 11:54 a.m. Monday on charges of simple burglary, criminal trespassing, theft of $1,000 to $5,000 and possession of marijuana.

Patrol officers observed three people walking around a home in the area of Front Street acting in a suspicious manner. The officer made contact with the people, who were identified as Billiot, Fitch and Aucoin.

Police located the homeowner who stated that the three people were not authorized to be upon the property, Blair said. Officers learned that the suspects were attempting to take several items estimated to be valued over $1,200 out of a shed on the property, Blair said. They were also in possession of suspected marijuana. The trio was jailed.

Blair reported that officers responded to 34 calls and reported the following arrests:

—Ricky J. Hayes, 53, of Railroad Avenue in Morgan City, was arrested at 4:56 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging him with two counts of failure to appear to pay a fine and a warrant charging him with probation violation and resisting an officer.

Hayes was located in the area of Railroad Avenue on city court warrants. When an officer located Hayes, he fled into the home, Blair said. Hayes was apprehended a short time later and taken into custody. Hayes was jailed.

—Sean A. Christmas, 38, of Bayou Blue Bypass in Gray, was arrested at 1:49 a.m. Tuesday on charges of driving under suspension, improper lane usage and no insurance.

Patrol officers observed a vehicle being operated in the area of La. 182 in an erratic manner. A stop was initiated when Christmas was identified as the driver. Christmas had a suspended driver’s license, and the vehicle he was operating did not have proper insurance, Blair said. Christmas was jailed.

St. Mary Parish Sheriff Scott Anslum reported that deputies responded to 41 complaints and reported the following arrests:

—Kevin Pierre, 21, of Hickory Street in Patterson, was arrested at 9:46 p.m. Monday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

—Paul Fulmer Jr., 23, of Delmar Avenue in Bayou Vista, was arrested at 9:47 p.m. Monday on a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

A deputy patrolling Bayou Vista stopped to speak with two people near the corner of Jupiter and Saturn roads. The deputy identified the people as Pierre and Fulmer. While speaking with them, the deputy learned that each of the subjects was in possession of a pipe used for smoking marijuana, Anslum said. Following the investigation, both Pierre and Fulmer were released on summonses to appear in court July 11.

—Paige Mabe, 29, of Fourth Street in Berwick, was arrested at 1:58 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging her with possession of marijuana, possession of a controlled dangerous substance in the presence of a minor and violation of a controlled dangerous substance law-drug-free zone.

In March, narcotics detectives assisted the uniformed patrol section with an investigation into a disturbance on Southeast Boulevard near the central park area. While speaking with Mabe, a detective received consent to search her belongings and located a partially burnt marijuana cigarette, Anslum said.

Mabe was with a juvenile at the time the drug was found. Following the investigation, the detective obtained a warrant for Mabe’s arrest. Narcotics detectives located Mabe at her home on the warrant. Mabe was released on a summons to appear in court July 11.

Patterson Police Chief Janis Merritt reported the following arrest:

—Nicole M. Fisher, 46, of Muggah Street in Patterson, was arrested at 8:41 p.m. Monday on a warrant charging her with three counts of theft of prescription medication. No bail was set yet.

Berwick Police Chief James Richard reported no arrests.

DONALDSONVILLE (AP) — A company based in Taiwan plans to build a $9.4 billion chemical manufacturing complex on a 2,400-acre (970-hectare) site in Louisiana, officials announced Monday.
Gov. John Bel Edwards and Formosa Petrochemical Corp. Executive Vice President Keh-Yen Lin announced the plans for the plant in St. James Parish, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
The project is expected to provide 1,200 permanent jobs with average salaries of $84,500 and up to 8,000 construction jobs, according to a state news release.
The plant will be the parish’s largest industry, Parish President Timmy Roussel said.
It will add about $28 million a year in property taxes once the exemption offered as an industrial incentive expires, Roussel told The Advocate . The parish now gets about $60 million a year in various taxes, he said.
Part of Louisiana’s standard incentive package is, with local approval, a full property tax exemption for five years, followed by an 80-percent exemption for three years. That alone would add up to about $207 million in tax breaks over eight years.
Gary Perilloux, spokesman for Louisiana Economic Development, said he was working to get dollar figures for the exemptions.
Construction is expected to take 10 years, possibly beginning as soon as 2019 if all permits are approved. The work would be in two phases, with the first permanent jobs expected to be filled in 2021. That hiring would trigger the first of four $3 million installments of a performance-based grant to offset infrastructure costs, the news release said.
The complex downriver from Donaldsonville would take natural gas and make ethylene, propylene, ethylene glycol and associated polymers used in many plastic products. It’s the latest big petrochemical expansion in Louisiana motivated by cheap natural gas produced by the American fracking boom.
At least one such project, however, has been dropped. South African energy and chemical company Sasol called off plans last year for an $11 billion to $14 billion plant to convert natural gas to liquid fuels. Sasol continued with plans for an $11.1 billion ethane cracking plant in southwest Louisiana.
Formosa has 410 employees at three existing Louisiana facilities. Three U.S. subsidiaries agreed to pay $12.8 million in remediation costs and fines in 2009 after a long-running battle over air, water and hazardous waste violations at two petrochemical plants in Texas and Louisiana.
The proposed plants would be run by a Louisiana-registered subsidiary of Formosa, called FG LA LLC, with Lin as its CEO.
Since the site is just downriver from the Sunshine Bridge, Formosa has dubbed it the Sunshine Project.
The bridge — opened in 1964 in what was then a sparsely populated area and described by detractors as a bridge to nowhere — got its nickname from then-Gov. Jimmie Davis’ song, “You Are My Sunshine.”
These days, it is heavily used.
“For more than 50 years, the Sunshine Bridge has connected the river parishes in a strategic fashion that has enabled tremendous industrial growth and thousands of new jobs along both sides of the Mississippi River in Louisiana,” Edwards said. “The new Sunshine Project continues that bridge into a brighter economic future for Louisiana.”