ERRANT THROW—LLOG Exploration’s Thomas Anderson (23) takes the low road home while Piggly Wiggly catcher J.T. Trapani shows some hops going for a high throw during Tuesday’s American Legion game in Mandeville. Host LLOG held off Loranger for a 9-7 victory. John Lenz/Daily STar

All season long, Loranger's Piggly Wiggly American Legion team has demonstrated a knack for the dramatic rally.

The magic finally dried up for Pig-Wig Tuesday night at LLOG Exploration (Mandeville).

Piggly Wiggly rallied from a 9-3 deficit in the top of the seventh to score four runs and put the tying run in scoring position. But Mandeville starter Joey Pajares got a strikeout with the tying runs at second and third as LLOG held on for a 9-7 victory in Legion Sixth District East West Division play.

"We knew we weren't going to quit. We knew were going to score runs," Loranger coach Jason helmstetter said. "We were bound to get to him. We did. But it was just too late."

The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Piggly Wiggly (8-2), which despite the loss will be the division champion. Helmstetter said Hammond has elected to forfeit the rained-out game between the two teams, clinching first place for Loranger.

The game was more critical for LLOG (6-3), which is part of a three-team race for the final two playoff spots. LLOG kept pace with Peake BMW (6-3), which defeated Hammond.

"They needed it to have hopes of getting into the regional playoff deal," Helmstetter said. "We didn't need it, but of course we wanted it."

But Ponchatoula's Pevey Realtors team stumbled, losing to Covington Post 16 (CHS) 10-9 to fall into fourth place. Pevey (5-4) hosts LLOG next Tuesday and Covington Post 16 plays at Peake BMW.

"We scored nine runs and got beat," Pevey coach Mark Gosnell said. "It's hard to win against anybody when you walk as many as we did tonight. It came back to get us tonight."

Piggly Wiggly, meanwhile, will play Thomas Pump (Slidell) as a tuneup next Tuesday at 4 p.m. The second and third-place teams playoff, and the winner qualifies for the regional in Gonzales along with Piggly Wiggly. But that team and Piggly Wiggly will play at Loranger's site for seed position in the tournament in Gonzales.

LLOG Exploration 9, Piggly Wiggly 7

MANDEVILLE-LLOG scored runs in each of the first four innings to build an 8-1 lead against Loranger starter Bryce Himel. Blake Butera and Thomas Anderson each drew walks to open the first and scored on an RBI double by Ryan Lassus and a sacrifice fly by Josh Goodwin.

Zack Liberto doubled and scored on Michael Symms' RBI single in the second, then Lassus singled and scored on Liberto's RBI single in the third to make it 4-0.

Loranger got on the board in the fourth when Taylor Abdalla reached on an error and scored on Kyle Wheeler's RBI double. But LLOG put on a power show in the bottom of the fourth and Anderson hit a two-out solo homer, then Lassus followed a walk with a two-run bomb of his own to make it 7-1. Goodwin singled and Josh DiArcangelo singled him home for the fourth run of the inning.

"Bryce is a competitor," Helmstetter said. "He wasn't completely on tonight and he left a few balls up and they made him pay for it."

But Loranger wasn't done, mounting a two-out rally in the fifth when Taylor Abrmas was hit by a pitch and Himel walked. Abdalla doubled in Abrams and Himel scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-3.

Mandeville made it 9-3 in the sixth when Lassus walked, stole second and scored on a wild pitch.

But Loranger mounted its biggest rally in the seventh. Brennan Catalano doubled, Abrams walked, and one out later, so did Abdalla to load the bases. J.T. Trapani singled in a run, and one out later Kyle Wheeler walked to force in another. A wild pitch scored Abdalla to make it 9-6, then Kyle Bracey beat out an RBI infield single to make it 9-7 with runners at the corners.

Bracey stole second to reach scoring position, but Pajares struck out Allen Mizell to end the game.

Bracey was 2-for-4, Abdalla had a hit and scored twice, and thee other players all had one hit for Piggly Wiggly.

-Reported by John Lenz

Cov. Post 16 10, Pevey Realtors 9

COVINGTON-Pevey seemingly took control of the game early, scoring two runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-0 lead. Justin Crowell's three-run home run in the top of the third inning increased that lead to 5-0.

Cory Ricks' RBI single put Post 16 on the board in the bottom of the third inning, but Crowell drove in Reeve Kirkland in the top of the fourth to give Pevey a 6-1 lead.

Post 16 put on a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cory Galloway reached on an error. Pevey had a chance for a double play, but the throw to first sailed into the dugout, allowing Jordan Taylor to reach second. Pevey starting pitcher Elisha Settoon walked D.J. Appe. Passed balls allowed Taylor to reach third and score before Bo Tedesco and Dave Dawsey each drove in runs before putting Settoon in a jam.

Settoon hit Dexter Thompson and loaded the bases by walking Ricks, prompting Pevey to bring in Laramie Pittman in relief. Pittman had Jeffery Joiner down 0-2 in the count before Joiner ripped one off the center field wall for a bases-clearing triple, capping the rally and giving Post 16 a 7-6 lead.

"Late in the game, our pitching let us down," Gosnell said.

Pevey regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning. Dylan Hills was hit by a pitch, and Kaleb Kraft doubled down the left field line to put runners into scoring position. Kirkland reached on a Post 16 error, allowing Hills and pinch runner Darren Bach to scored. Settoon singled in Kirkland to give Pevey a 9-7 lead.

"We got down, we gave us six runs in the fourth," Gosnell said. "We came back, went ahead and had a 2-run lead. We couldn't hold it because we couldn't throw it over the plate."

In the bottom of the sixth, Pittman walked Dowsey to lead off, and Pevey put Hills on the mound to close the door. Hills walked the next two batters to load the bases. Dowsey scored on a Ricks groundout. Joiner was walked intentionally to load the bases. Galloway drew a bases-loaded walk to score Brady King to tie the game. Taylor then flew out to center, allowing Thompson to score the go-ahead run.