Dixie Majors: Ponchy KOs DeRidder in 7th

By John Lenz

Ponchatoula Dixie Majors coach Mike Sheridan pulled reserve Andrew Maestri aside in the middle of the seventh inning and told him to get ready to pinch hit in the bottom half of the inning.

It was a tough spot for a first at-bat. Ponchatoula had coughed up an unearned run in the top of the seventh of its elimination game in the Dixie Majors State Tournament and was trailing 2-1 against DeRidder's flame-throwing ace, Brannan Hagan. It didn't look good.

But Maestri came through with a clutch, two-out RBI single to the the game, then danced home with the winning run on a throwing error moments later to give Ponchatoula a dramatic 3-2 victory at Southeastern's Alumni Field.

"He hadn't played a lot for us and he was wanting to play so bad, it was killing him," Sheridan said. "He told me, ‘You're putting me in in a tough spot’, but I told him, ‘You can do it. You're a clutch hitter’.

"And he did it. He got our hit for us. It makes the coaches look good when they do that."

The victory preserved a stellar complete-game pitching effort by Ponchatoula's Rudy Townsend and advanced Ponchatoula to a date with Sulphur-based Moss Bluff — the team that handed Ponchy its lone tourney loss — on Thursday at 4 p.m.

Moss Bluff eliminated Vidalia-based East Central 10-3 in Wednesday's late game. Ponchatoula must defeat Moss Bluff twice today in order to win the state championship.

"We have some incentive, too," Sheridan said. "The team that put us in the losers’ bracket (Miss Bluff) put us in there pretty bad (16-1), and it didn't feel too good. We feel like we need to get back to them, and we're working our way that way."

Moss Bluff was unbeaten going into its late game Wednesday against East Central. If Moss Bluff wins, Ponchatoula would have to defeat them twice today in order to win the championship. If East Central wins, all three teams would have one loss and East Central would watch Moss Bluff play Ponchy at 4 p.m. for the right to play East Central in the championship game to follow.

Ponchatoula almost didn't make it. Townsend's curveball baffled DeRidder as he allowed just two hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out nine. Hagan was just as good, allowing three hits and three walks while fanning nine.

DeRidder broke on top in the second when Micheal Maddox was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a two-out throwing error on Tyler Adams’ grounder.

Ponchatoula tied it in the fourth when Zach Cefalu coaxed a leadoff walk, Logan Davis reached on an error, Derek Gaudin got him to third with a fielder's choice out at second, and a run-scoring passed ball.

But in the top of the seventh, DeRidder's Chase Johnson reached on a dropped third strike, was sacrificed to second and scored on a pair of passed balls to put DeRidder up 2-1.

But in the bottom half, Gaudin led off with a single. Wesley Fletcher popped out trying to sacrifice, but a throwing error by the DeRidder catcher allowed Gaudin to move to second. Hagan got a key strikeout, which is when Maestri stepped in and dumped a single into rightfield to tie the game 2-2.

Maestri just barely got in safely on a steal of second with Kent Kinchen at the plate, then Kinchen drove a roller to third base and the ball was thrown wildly past first base to allow Maestri to roar home with the winning run.

"Both pitchers pitched good," Sheridan said. "It's a shame one of them had to lose. And we were both out of pitches. (Hagan) was running out with the last batter, and our guy had four left.

"We were both out of pitches, it was hot, but what it came down to is, we made the breaks on them. Everything we did to give it away we took back in the bottom (of the seventh). We tell the boys, ‘Don't ever quit; believe in each other’. And they came through.”

Dixie Pre-Majors: Ponchy comes from behind for 2nd day in row

By Mike Kiral

INDEPENDENCE — Ponchatoula had to rally for the second straight day at the Dixie Pre-Majors State Tournament Wednesday, but this comeback was a little easier.

Ponchatoula trailed 2-1 before scoring three runs in the third inning and six in the fourth for a 10-7 victory over Moss Bluff. Ponchatoula had erased a seven-run deficit to defeat Northeast, 16-15, in eight innings Tuesday.

"We just hit the ball early," Ponchatoula head coach Derek Perrin said. "The bats are there. The hits there and the runs there. We're just working on a couple of pitching things. But I'm proud of the guys and the team. We got maybe one more game tomorrow."

Ponchatoula advanced to the championship round where it will play Bayou today at 4 p.m. Bayou lost to Franklin, 9-7, Wednesday night, leaving those two teams and Ponchatoula with one loss apiece.

Franklin drew the bye and will play the winner of the first game approximately 30 minutes following for the state title. The winner of the tournament advances to the Dixie World Series in Dyersburg, Tenn., beginning July 26.

Chance Fayko's home run deep over the right field fence gave Moss Bluff a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Damian Bach walked and Justin Crowell and Keegan Pecar reached on infield singles with one out in the Ponchatoula half of the inning. Shelby Payne was then hit by a pitch, bringing in Bach with the tying run. Crowell came home on Russ Russell's fly ball to center and Pecar scored when Morgan Payne reached on an error to give Ponchatoula a 4-2 lead.

Ponchatoula starter Ryan Daniels retired the side in order in the top of the fourth, then opened the bottom of the inning by getting hit by a pitch by Douglass Marshall. After Ralph Green walked, Bach lined a double to the right-center field gap to make it 6-2. Crowell brought in Bach with a single to center. Russell was hit by a pitch by two outs later and Morgan Payne followed with an RBI double to right. Crowell increased the lead to 10-2 with a single to right.

Moss Bluff pulled to within 10-6 in the fifth after Jimmie Griffen led off with a double and Dylan Dozart singled. Clint Courville's ground out scored Griffen with Dozart coming in on Kyle Peterson's double to the left field wall. After Peterson scored on a wld pitch after Marshall reached on an error. Hayden Bennett's single cut the deficit to four. Morgan Payne came in to pitch and af ter walking Fayko, got Kip Carter to hit back to the mound to end the inning.

Peterson singled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Bennett in the seventh before Payne got Fayko to pop up to short to end the game.

Dozart was hit by a pitch and came in on a ground out by Peterson in the top of the first. Crowell tied it in the bottom of the inning with a lead-off home run to right.