MC 12s are south regional runners-up

The Morgan City 12-year-old All-Stars’ season came to an unexpected end in the championship game of Louisiana Dixie Youth Majors South Regional Tournament in Ponchatoula on Tuesday.
The unbeaten Morgan City All-Stars came into the game needing to win one of two games to move on to the Dixie Youth state championship game being played in Alexandria on Friday. But another storied Dixie Youth program had other plans; Ville Platte beat Morgan City, 5-3, in the first game to force a winner-take-all game two. Ville Platte stunned the local team with an 8-3 victory in the finale.
In game 1, Morgan City started pitching ace Luke Barbier, who could only throw four innings under Dixie Youth rules. Barbier had not allowed a hit coming into the game.
But in the second inning, Ville Platte’s leadoff batter homered to give the underdogs a 1-0 lead. However, Morgan City’s bats were quiet with the team going hitless until the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Ville Platte added another run in the third for a 2-0 lead with Morgan City’s ace nearing his pitch limit. When Barbier left after four, Morgan City was still in the game, trailing 2-0.
Barbier pitched four innings, surrendering five hits and two earned runs with four strikeouts and five walks.
Trent Hillen came on in relief in the fifth inning, but was met rudely with two Ville Platte runs. Morgan City trailed 4-0 with only two at-bats remaining.
Morgan City got base runners on in the bottom of the fifth and Hugh Hamer got Morgan City’s first hit, an RBI single, to cut the Ville Platte lead to 4-1. The local stars couldn’t cut the lead anymore; leaving two base runners on after a strikeout ended the threat. Ville Platte added a run in the top of the sixth, taking a 5-1 lead into the bottom of the frame.
With Morgan City down to its last three outs, Matt Mire powered a home run to centerfield to cut Ville Platte’s lead to 5-2. Barbier and Hillen singled, forcing a Ville Platte pitching change. The locals loaded the bases but couldn’t convert.
Peyton Feupch got the win for Ville Platte, going 51/3 innings, allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Jack Lahaye got the final two outs for the save.
Leading hitters for Morgan City were Mire with a solo home run; Hamer, 1-for-1 with a walk; and Barbier and Hillen, each a single.
In the second game, Ville Platte jumped on Hillen for a 3-0 lead. Ville Platte added two more runs in the second inning to extend the lead to 5-0.
Ville Platte starter Dagean Mitchell kept Morgan City’s bats silent. Mitchell pitched his last 41/3 innings, allowing just one run, one hit and two walks with 10 strikeouts.
Ville Platte went ahead 6-0 after a home run in the fifth inning and finished the inning with another run batted in to go up 7-0. In the bottom of the frame, Morgan City got three walks to load the bases and Hamer grounded out to score a run. Morgan City trailed 7-1 going into the last inning.
An insurance run on a solo home run was added by Ville Platte for an 8-1 lead. Morgan City loaded the bases again on walks but managed to add just two more runs in the loss.
Hillen pitched four innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts and four base on balls. Dylan Cornes pitched the last two innings in relief.
The leading hitters for Morgan City were Barbier and Gibson, both with singles.
“I’m extremely proud of the kids, we played really well until last night,” Morgan City Coach Beau Theriot said. “The kids were mentally and emotionally tired and when they made a mistake they just couldn’t turn the page and move on to the next play. But I thought they learned a valuable lesson. Just because you beat a team once, doesn’t mean you can automatically beat them again.”
--Staff Report