The No. 5 seed Benton Tigers are hitting the road in the playoffs for the first time with a spot in the non-select Division I championship series on the line.
Benton (35-4) scheduled to open a best-of-3 semifinal series against No. 1 Live Oak (30-6) on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Watson, which is located northeast of Baton Rouge.
Game 2 is scheduled for Friday at 6, Game 3, if necessary, is scheduled for Saturday at 1.
Benton’s quarterfinal series again Sulphur was disrupted by rain. There was heavy rain in the Baton Rouge-area Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, there is a chance for showers and thunderstorms Thursday through Saturday. The chances for Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday afternoon appear relatively low, though.
This is the first time semifinal series have been best-of-3. Previously, the semifinals and finals were single games at the state tournament in Sulphur. The championship series will be played in Sulphur next week.
Benton lost to No. 1 seed Barbe 4-1 in the semifinals last year. Live Oak was swept by No. 3 Sam Houston in the quarterfinals.
Benton and Live Oak both went the distance in their home quarterfinal series. After losing Game 1 to No. 20 Sulphur 10-4, the Tigers swept a doubleheader 4-3 and 1-0 last Saturday.
Live Oak lost Game 1 to No. 8 Northshore 5-0. The Eagles evened the series with an 8-0 victory then rallied to win Game 3 3-2.
Louisiana Tech signee Cooper Smith hit a two-run home with no outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Other Live Oak players who have signed include pitcher Sawyer Pruitt (Louisiana), second baseman Brock Davis (Northwestern State) and outfielder Cal Cassard (BPCC), per Prep Baseball Report.
Benton players who are continuing their career in college include pitcher Kade Bryant (Northwestern State), pitcher/outfielder Jackson Jones (Louisiana Tech), pitcher Thomas Allen (ULM), pitcher Tanner Webb (Northeast Texas CC), catcher Griffin Sibley (Southeastern CC) and designated hitter Colton Birdsong (SAU Tech).
Benton and Live Oak both received first-round byes in the playoffs. The Tigers swept No. 12 Ruston 10-0 and 11-5 in the second round. The Eagles swept No. 16 Denham Springs 4-2 and 11-0.
The semifinal series is a matchup of district champions. Benton won District 1-5A with a 15-1 record. Live Oak won District 5-5A with an 11-1 mark.
The Eagles’ lone district loss was to Dutchtown 3-2 in the next-to-last game of the regular season. Live Oak’s other regular-season losses were to Sulphur 2-1 on Feb. 14, Catholic of Baton Rouge 5–1 on Feb. 28, Teurlings Catholic 3-1 on March 7 and Lutcher 12-9 on March 12.
Catholic, Lutcher and Teurlings Catholic are all in the semifinals of their respective divisions. Dutchtown lost to No. 2 Barbe in the quarterfinals.
The Benton-Live Oak winner will face the winner between Barbe (34-4) and No. 11 Sam Houston (33-7) for the state championship.