Lafayette Little League's season didn't end the way it wanted, but the all-star squad reached the state tournament final for the first time since 2021.
On Wednesday at St. Julien Park in Broussard, Ascension Parish avenged a loss to Lafayette in Game 1 of the tournament by winning a doubleheader to advance to the Southwest Region in Waco, Texas.
"It was awesome," Lafayette coach Charlie Babineaux said of his team's summer. "This group of kids worked their tails off and gave us all they had."
Lafayette jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning of the first game on Wednesday. Jack Fontenot's single scored Bryce Meaux (walk), and Mason Fontenot laced a triple that drove in Jack Fontenot and Mason Breaux (single).
Ascension Parish answered in the bottom half of the inning with three runs. Lafayette turned an apparent double play with the bases loaded to escape the frame unscathed, but the umpire ruled that the Lafayette catcher didn't touch home plate before making the relay throw to first, which beat the batter.
"It was a big call that could've dictated the game and tournament, but you know what? We'll keep moving," Babineaux said.
Ascension Parish, which had to win six games in five days, scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning to prevail 4-3.
"We lost the opening game to Lafayette," Ascension Parish coach Kyle Suire said. "They're a real good team. Our kids are very mentally tough. They kept fighting. There was never any doubt in our dugout that we were going to win."
In the final game, Ascension Parish got out to an 8-0 lead behind pitcher Luca Drago, who allowed four hits and one run over four innings. He left the game after Harry Sturlese doubled to open the fifth inning for Lafayette.
"I just think he was filling up the zone and pitching to contact," Babineaux said of Drago. "We weren't really able to square up on him. He was able to eat up our lineup pretty good for a while."
Deano Babineaux's double drove in Sturlese, and Eli Vidacovich's RBI groundout scored Babineaux to make it 8-2. Jack Fontenot doubled in the sixth for Lafayette, which wasn't able to score again.
"Even on Day 1, every time we came to the park, I could see our guys expected to win," Suire said. "Every time we needed a kid to show up and throw a game, that guy did it."
Mason Fontenot, Co'en Onezime and Breaux each had a hit in Game 2. Jake Waller, Jack Fontenot, Babineaux and Onezime (triple) collected hits in Game 1.
In the first game of the tourney, Lafayette scored all its runs in the fifth inning of a 3-1 win. Sturlese got the win after pitching 4⅔ innings in relief. Meaux's line drive to right field with two outs scored all three runs.
Dean LeBlanc, Sam Tasman and Cam Thibeaux rounded out the 12-man roster for Lafayette.