In a battle of two of the state’s top Class 5A teams, the Airline Lady Vikings fell to St. Amant 3-1 in the West Monroe tournament Friday.
Airline (18-4) was No. 7 in the latest LHSAA 5A power rankings. St. Amant (22-2), which won its ninth in a row, was No. 4.
The teams combined for only five hits in the pitchers’ duel.
Airline freshman Raelin Chaffin allowed two hits and struck out 15. St. Amant sophomore Alyssa Romano pitched a three-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Makenzie Chaffin, Maddie Ennis and Brooklyn Brandon had one double apiece for Airline.
The Lady Vikings took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Brandon doubled with one out and scored on an error.
The Lady Gators scored twice in the sixth on a two-out double. They added one in the seventh on an error with two outs.
St. Amant reached the quarterfinals of the playoffs last year.
Things didn’t get any easier for the Lady Vikings on Saturday when they faced No. 1 Hahnville. Airline lost 17-5.
Makenzie Chaffin went 3-for-5. Kourtnee White went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Brandon also had two hits.
Hahnville (19-2), a 5A quarterfinalist last season, has won 19 in a row.
It wasn’t a completely lost weekend for Airline. The Lady Vikings closed the tournament with a 9-0 victory over Mt. Carmel (15-4), which is No. 1 in the Division I power rankings.
Lexi Gray had a home run, double and two RBI. Ennis went 3-for-3. Kourtnee White went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Brandon had two hits. Makenzie Chaffin also had two hits, including a double. Alyssa Milano had two RBI.
Raelin Chaffin had another outstanding effort on the mound. She pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13.
The Benton Lady Tigers edged the Parkway Lady Panthers 7-6 in the Calvary Baptist tournament Saturday.
Joely Fletcher gave Benton (10-12) a 6-4 lead in the fifth with a two-run homer. Emily Angelo led off the bottom of the first with a home run.
Parkway’s Faith Ingles went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Maecy Ingram hit a home run.
In other Saturday tournament games, Haughton defeated Quitman 6-5 and Parkway fell to Plainview 8-0.
Savannah Salley went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Quitman. McKayla Burkart went 2-for-2. Reagan Jorstad had an RBI-double.
Friday wasn’t a great day overall for parish teams in tournament play.
Parkway hung with reigning Division III state champion Calvary Baptist before falling 5-2 in the Calvary tournament.
The Lady Panthers scored single runs in the top of the fifth and sixth to cut a 3-0 Lady Cavs lead to 3-2. But Calvary extended the lead with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Abbie Norcross allowed just five hits and two earned runs in six innings.
Calvary’s Marissa Reed pitched a four-hitter. The Lady Cavs, who also won the Class 2A state title in 2016, improved to 21-3.
Haughton fell to Sterlington 7-2 in the Cedar Creek tournament.
Shelby Hensley had a triple for the Lady Bucs. Briley LeBlanc and Reagan Jorstad both doubled.
The Lady Bucs (9-9) also fell to Oak Grove 8-4 Saturday.
Haughton tied it at 4 in the bottom of the fifth, but Oak Grove answered with four in the top of the sixth.
Savannah Salley went 2-for-3. Madison Trujillo also had two hits.
Benton lost to Evangel Christian and Converse, both by scores of 10-6, in the Calvary Baptist tournament.
Joely Fletcher went 2-for-3 with two RBI against Evangel. Emily Angelo had two hits. Olivia Oliphint had a double and three RBI.
Evangel’s Taylor Mayo had a home run, two doubles and five RBI.
Angelo went 3-for-4 with a triple and double against Converse. Oliphint had two hits, including a home run, and two RBI.
Madison Wells and Rylie Roberson also had two hits each. Anna Claire Kratzer and Madi Simms both doubled.
NOTE: The above report is based on information on teams’ official GameChanger accounts.
— Russell Hedges, rhedges@bossierpress.com
