Four parish baseball teams make the playoffs
The LHSAA released its high-school baseball playoff brackets on Sunday afternoon, and four Ascension Parish teams made the field.
In Division IV, the Ascension Catholic Bulldogs earned the No. 2 seeding. That was the highest seeding of any parish baseball team.
In round one, the Bulldogs will host a best-of-three series against 15th-seeded Riverside Academy (19-13).
If Ascension Catholic wins, the Bulldogs will advance to the state quarterfinals, where they’ll play either seventh-seeded St. Frederick or No. 10 Vermillion Catholic.
Ascension Catholic took home another District 7-1A championship this year, going undefeated in league play. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with an overall record of 23-8.
All but one of the Bulldogs’ losses came against upper-classification teams. They also beat 15 upper-classification schools.
Ascension Catholic will head into the playoffs losers of two of its final three games.
Joining Ascension Catholic in the Division-IV playoffs will be Ascension Christian. The Lions made the postseason as the No. 11 seed.
In the opening round, Ascension Christian will visit sixth-seeded Sacred Heart (22-7) for a best-of-three series.
If the Lions can pull off the upset, they’ll advance to the state quarterfinals to play either third-seeded Ouachita Christian or No. 14 Central Private.
Ascension Christian finished as the District 7-1A runner-up for the second straight year. The Lions finished the regular season with an overall record of 24-10.
Like Ascension Catholic, most of Ascension Christian’s losses were to bigger schools. Seven of the 10 defeats came against upper-classification squads.
Ascension Christian heads into the playoffs winners of three of its final four games.
In Class 5A, Dutchtown garnered the highest seeding of the parish squads. The Griffins are seeded third.
In round one, Dutchtown will host 30th-seeded Slidell (17-15). If the Griffins win, they’ll advance to round two for a best-of-three series against either No. 14 Ponchatoula or No. 19 Benton.
Dutchtown had a sensational regular season. The Griffins won their first outright District 5-5A championship since 2013. Their victory dethroned Catholic, who had won the district five years in a row.
Dutchtown finished the regular season with a terrific 30-3 record. Along the way, there was a stretch in which the Griffins won 18 straight games.
Dutchtown was dominant in the parish. The Griffins swept both St. Amant and East Ascension. They won those four games by a combined score of 26-4.
Dutchtown also beat Ascension Catholic, 11-0.
The Griffins head into the postseason winners of 19 of their final 20 games. Their lone loss in that stretch was against Catholic.
St. Amant earned the No. 8 seeding in the Class 5A playoffs. In round one, the Gators will host No. 25 Chalmette (20-8).
If St. Amant wins, the Gators will advance to the second round for a best-of-three series against either ninth-seeded Live Oak or No. 24 Covington.
St. Amant had a very impressive season. The Gators finished the year with a 28-6 record. At one point, they reeled off 17 straight victories.
St. Amant heads into the playoffs on a three-game winning streak.