MC 11s finish fourth at state

The Morgan City 11-year-old All-Stars finished fourth at the 11-year-old Minors State Tournament Sunday, falling in the third-place contest.
Morgan City, who finished the weekend 2-2, fell to Moss Bluff 3-2 in eight innings in the third-place game.
Morgan City coach Beau Theriot said he was proud of his squad for their performance, not just this weekend but for the whole season, noting they continually overcame adversity.
“Just very, very happy (with) the work the kids put in,” he said.
The area team started its stay at the state tournament with an 11-7 win against host Ponchatoula Friday. On Saturday, Morgan City fell in its first contest to West Monroe, 5-3, before bouncing back with a combined no-hitter by Matthew Mire and Gunnar Theriot against Alexandria in a 2-0 win to advance to the third-place game Sunday.
In Sunday’s game, Morgan City was playing for a chance to advance to the 11-year-old Traditional Regional World Series invitational in Longview, Texas.
In Friday’s win against Ponchatoula, Morgan City never trailed, taking a 4-0 lead after two innings and as much as a 9-2 lead after four complete innings.
While Pontchatoula plated five runs in the top of the fifth inning, Morgan City concluded the game’s scoring with two runs in the bottom of the frame.
Matthew Mire earned the win for Morgan City. In three innings, he surrendered two hits, four walks and fanned four.
Brett Morell pitched two innings of relief and walked five, surrendered five hits and fanned three.
Offensively, Luke Freia and Grant Cheramie led Morgan City offensively as each went 2-for-3, while Jordan Percle and Ethan Blanco each were 1-for-1. Other top contributors included Mire, Morell and Kolin Crappell, all 1-for-3.
In Morgan City’s second game, West Monroe jumped out early with a 4-0 lead by the end of the second inning and a 5-1 advantage after the fourth inning.
Morgan City closed the gap in the top of the fifth inning with two runs for the final 5-3 score.
Coach Theriot said Morgan City had the bases loaded when the game ended.
Zach Bennett suffered the loss for Morgan City. In two innings, he surrendered three hits, walked one and fanned six.
Among Morgan City’s relievers were Mire, who pitched two innings and surrendered two hits and fanned one.
Offensively, Bennett, Hugh Hamer and Freia each led Morgan City with 2-for-3 performances, while Percle was 1-for-1.
Other contributors were Josiah Swan, 1-for-3; and Mire and Morell, each 1-for-4.
Against Alexandria, Mire and Theriot combined for the no-hitter, with Mire earning the win. In two innings, Mire fanned four.
Theriot came on in relief and pitched four innings, surrendered three walks and fanned four.
Offensively, Morgan City scored a single run apiece in the first and fifth innings.
Mire led Morgan City with a 2-for-3 performance, while Hamer and Swan each were 1-for-2. Morell, Theriot and Bennett all finished 1-for-3 in the win.
In the third-place contest against Moss Bluff, Mire and Bennett combined to surrender just four hits and one walk in the loss.
“The pitching was awesome in that game and the game before that to get us there,” Theriot said of the Moss Bluff and Alexandria games.
Both Morgan City and Moss Bluff scored a run in the first inning, while Morgan City took a 2-1 lead after two innings.
Moss Bluff tied the score at 2 in the top of the third inning where it remained until the top of the eighth inning when Moss Bluff plated the winning run, which Coach Theriot said was unearned.
Morgan City could not counter in its final at bat.
Bennett suffered the loss in relief. In two innings, he surrendered a hit, a walk and fanned two.
Mire started for Morgan City and in six innings, he surrendered three hits and fanned five.
Offensively, Swan led Morgan City with a 3-for-3 performance, while Bennett and Crappell each were 1-for-3.