Morgan City 11s win state crown

The Morgan City 11-year-old All-Stars won the Dixie Youth 11-year-old State Championship, while the Morgan City 9-year-olds finished as state runner-ups in their age group.
Both squads competed in Jonesboro this weekend, with the Morgan City 11s concluding the weekend with a 4-1 mark, while the Morgan City 9-year-old All-Stars concluded the weekend with a 3-1 record.
Both also will advance to a regional Dixie Youth World Series in Brookhaven, Mississippi, that will be held next weekend.
Meanwhile, the St. Mary Central 8-year-old All-Stars concluded their season at the Dixie Youth AA State Tournament in Ruston.
Below is a recap of the weekend action.
Morgan City 11s
Morgan City avenged its lone loss of the tournament Saturday to Monroe by defeating the squad Sunday 4-1 in the state championship game.
“I could see it in their eyes that they were ready to play ball,” Morgan City Coach Chase Pickens said of his team’s response Sunday after dropping its first game of the tournament to Monroe Saturday.
He said that the team has reached their “ultimate goal” to make it to a Dixie Youth World Series, and they finally have done it.
“They’ve been working hard these last few years to get there,” Pickens said. “We put a lot of work in.”
In Sunday’s contest with Monroe, Morgan City never trailed, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.
Monroe cut its deficit to 2-1 in the bottom of the second, but Morgan City scored a run in the third and another in the fifth for the final margin.
Morgan City pitchers Jamyre Bias and Tate Fontenot combined to limit Monroe to just two hits.
Bias pitched the first two innings and surrendered one earned run on two hits with three walks and one hit batter.
Fontenot pitched the final four innings and surrendered two walks and fanned two.
Ja’Kavior Kemp and Fontenot led Morgan City’s offense. Kemp was 2-for-4 with a run, while Fontenot was 1-for-1 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Landyn Ramagos and Conner Daigle, each 1-for-2, an RBI; Bryan Cordero, 1-for-2; and Jackman Lind, 1-for-3, a run.
Morgan City advanced to the finals after defeating the Pineville All-Stars 12-1 in their first game Sunday.
Morgan City scored four runs apiece in the first two innings for an 8-0 advantage.
While Pineville scored a run in the bottom of the third, Morgan City scored four more in the top of the fourth.
Morgan City pitchers Lucas Pickens and Cordero combined to surrender just one hit.
Pickens pitched the first three innings and surrendered an unearned run on one hit with three walks and four strikeouts.
Cordero pitched a perfect fourth inning.
Bias led the Morgan City offense with a 3-for-3 performance with a grand slam, five RBIs, a stolen base and two runs.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Chaz’ Pickens, 3-for-3; Franco Saleme, 2-for-2, an RBI; Kemp, 1-for-2, a triple, two RBIs and three runs; Fontenot, 1-for-2, two RBIs and a run; Pickens, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and three runs; Kollin Nelson, 1-for-1, a run; and Ramagos, 1-for-4, a run.
Morgan City advanced to Sunday’s single-elimination bracket play after finishing as one of the top two teams in its pool.
Saturday, Morgan City defeated the Sabine All-Stars 16-4 but fell to the Monroe All-Stars 5-0.
Against Sabine, Morgan City broke a 1-0 game open with 15 runs in the top of the third for a 16-0 lead.
Sabine scored four runs in the bottom of the third for the final margin.
Cordero and Max Simmons each pitched for Morgan City. Cordero pitched 2.1 innings and surrendered four unearned runs on one hit with one strikeout, while Simmons pitched 0.2 innings and surrendered one walk, hit one batter and fanned one.
Fontenot led Morgan City’s offense as he finished 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBIs, a stolen base and three runs.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Bias, 1-for-2, a triple, three RBIs, a stolen base and two runs; Chaz’ Pickens, 1-for-3, two RBIs and a run; Simmons, 1-for-1, a triple and a run; Cordero, 1-for-1, an RBI and a run; Ramagos, 1-for-2, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; and Kemp, two RBIs and two runs.
Later Saturday, Morgan City fell to Monroe 5-0.
Monroe scored a run in the third, two in the fourth and two in the sixth innings.
Morgan City outhit Monroe 4-3, but the local squad’s defense committed five errors.
Kemp led Morgan City’s offense with a 1-for-2 performance with a double.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Ramagos, Chaz’ Pickens and Fontenot, each 1-for-2.
Fontenot suffered the loss. In 2.2 innings, he surrendered one run (one unearned) on one hit with two walks, two hit batters and three strikeouts.
Friday, Morgan City began the tournament with a 10-0 victory against the Alexandria Nationals.
Morgan City scored seven runs in the first and three more in the bottom of the third.
Fontenot led Morgan City with a 1-for-2 performance with a double, three RBIs and a run.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Daigle, 1-for-2 with two RBIs; Bias, 1-for-2, a stolen base and two runs; Lucas Pickens, 1-for-2, a run; Cordero, an RBI and a run; and Saleme, an RBI.
Chaz’ Pickens and Lind each pitched two innings for Morgan City. Pickens pitched the first two innings and surrendered two hits, one walk and hit one batter. Lind pitched two innings and surrendered one hit.
MC 9s
The Morgan City 9-year-old All-Stars were perfect in state tournament play until the squad fell in the championship game to Oakdale 16-1 Sunday.
However, the squad still has qualified for the regional Dixie Youth World Series in Brookhaven, Mississippi, that will be held next weekend.
“They did great,” Morgan City Coach Matt Grizzaffi said of his squad. “They fought in every game. We had a bunch of nail biters. They never quit. They were calling them the comeback kids. They never gave up.”
After starting the tournament with a 3-0 record, Morgan City ran into a buzz saw in Oakdale in the finals. Oakdale had won the AA state tournament a year ago.
In Sunday’s matchup with Morgan City, Oakdale scored three runs in the bottom of the first, and after Morgan City cut its deficit to 3-1 in the top of the second, Oakdale countered with five runs in the bottom of the second and eight more in the bottom of the third.
Morgan City had just two hits as Bacadi Alcina finished 1-for-1, with a double and an RBI, while Jaryan Bias was 1-for-1 with a run.
Austen Gros, the first of three Morgan City pitchers used, suffered the loss. In two innings, he surrendered 12 runs (12 earned) on 10 hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Earlier Sunday, Morgan City defeated Ponchatoula 14-2.
While Ponchatoula scored a run in the top of the first, Morgan City countered with five in the bottom of the frame.
The local team added three in the second inning for an 8-1 lead, and after Ponchatoula plated a run in the top of the third, Morgan City scored six more in the bottom of the frame.
Chris Tran led Morgan City’s offense with a 3-for-3 performance with a double, three RBIs, two stolen bases and three runs.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Bias, 2-for-2, two triples, two RBIs, a stolen base and two runs; Alcina, 2-for-2, a double, an RBI and a run; Austen Gros, 1-for-3, a double, two RBIs, a stolen base and a run; Parker Gros, 1-for-2, a double, an RBI and a run; Zakyrian Ayers, 2-for-2, a stolen base and two runs; and Sevin 1-for-2, two RBIs, two stolen bases and two runs.
Tran earned the win. In four innings, he surrendered two runs (one earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
In Morgan City’s lone bracket play game Saturday against Jackson Parish, the local squad rallied for three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for a 6-5 victory.
Morgan City scored the tying and winning runs on Austen Gros’ single to right field for the win.
Early on, Morgan City trailed 3-1 after an inning and 4-3 after two complete innings.
Jackson Parish extended its lead to 5-3 in the top of the fourth before Morgan City’s comeback in the bottom of the fifth.
Bias led Morgan City’s offense with a 1-for-1 performance with a home run, two RBIs and a run.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Austen Gros, 1-for-1, two RBIs and a stolen base; Sevin, 1-for-2, a double; and Tran, 1-for-3, a stolen base and a run.
Parker Gros earned the win in relief. In three innings, he surrendered one run (one earned) on one hit with two walks and six strikeouts.
Tran started the game for Morgan City, and in two innings, he surrendered four runs (four earned) on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
In pool play Friday, Morgan City rallied with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning for a 9-8 victory against Monroe.
While Morgan City led 6-3 heading into the top of the fourth, Monroe scored five runs in the top of the fourth for an 8-6 lead.
Morgan City came back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game at 8 on Sage LaPoint’s groundout the first base that scored Hayden Norris and taking the lead two batters later when Noah Pickens drew a bases-loaded walk that scored Baylor Allen.
Early on, Monroe took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before Morgan City scored three runs in the bottom of the first.
Each team scored a run in the second, and Monroe scored a run and Morgan City, two runs in the third for a 6-3 Morgan City lead after three innings.
Sevin and Parker Gros led Morgan City’s offense. Sevin was 1-for-2 with a double, three RBIs and a stolen base, while Gros was 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and two runs.
Other top Morgan City offensive contributors were Alcina, 1-for-2, a double, a stolen base and a run; Austen Gros, 2-for-2, two runs; Allen, 1-for-1, an RBI and a run; Ayers, an RBI and a stolen base; and Pickens and LaPoint, each an RBI.
Parker Gros, the third of three Morgan City pitchers used, earned the win. In one inning, he surrendered two runs (two earned) on three hits with three strikeouts.
Tran started the game for Morgan City, and in 1.2 innings, he surrendered two runs (two earned) on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
St. Mary Central 8s
The St. Mary Central 8-year-old All-Stars finished 0-4 this weekend at the Dixie Youth AA State Tournament, falling in pool play to DeQuincy, East Ouachita Recreation District and Minden before falling in its lone consolation game.
Although St. Mary Central came up short in their contests, coach Wayne Crappell said the “experience was worth it” because his team had fun.
“They did their best again like we did in district,” he said. “They played their little buts off and tried and did everything we asked them to do.”
Crappell said St. Mary Central was just “outgunned” by the opponents.