The Bossier Phillies are one win away from their third straight American Legion Baseball State Tournament championship.
The Phillies won a nailbiter over the Crowley Millers 8-7 in 11 innings Tuesday night at Crowley’s home field.
Bossier faces Gauthier Amedee at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the championship round of the double-elimination tournament. If Gauthier Amedee wins, the teams will face off again at 7 for the title.
Bossier defeated Gauthier Amedee 5-1 on Monday in the winners’ bracket final.
Tuesday’s game against Crowley went into extra innings tied at 6 after the Millers scored two in the bottom of the seventh.
Both teams scored runs in the eighth. That was followed by two scoreless innings.
Former Benton standout Griffin Sibley led off the top of the 11th with a double and advanced to to third on a groundout by Connor Yates. Sibley then scored on a wild pitch with Kannon Greer at the plate.
Bryson Gates induced two groundouts to start the bottom of the inning. After giving up a walk and a single, he induced another groundout to end the game.
Gates, a former Benton star and the Pitcher of the Year on the 2026 All-District 1-5A team, turned in a gutsy performance. He entered the game in the seventh with one out.
Gates gave up some hits and walks but he got some huge outs to keep the Phillies alive.
After Crowley tied it in the seventh, the Millers had the bases loaded with two outs. Gates induced a flyout to end the threat.
After tying the game in the eighth, Crowley loaded the bases with two outs after back-to-back walks. Gates then induced a lineout to center fielder Cole Snell.
The Phillies had 10 hits. Cooper Holmes had two hits, including a leadoff home run in the third that gave Bossier a 4-3 lead. He also had a double and four RBI.
Jackson Waller had two hits and two RBI. His leadoff home run in the seventh gave the Phillies the 6-4 lead.
Nate Cervantes went 2-for-3 with an RBI and drew two walks. Snell had a single and drew three walks. Landon Martin and starting pitcher Connor Yates had one hit each.
Yates scattered six hits in six innings. He struck out three and walked four. Holmes relived him at the start of the seventh and got one out before Gates took the mound.