State champion Sharks fall just short of World Series

The Gauthier Amedee Sharks won the Louisiana American Legion state championship and made an impressive run to the title game of the Mid-South Regional tournament in Pelham, Ala.

But their sensational run ended just one victory short of their first trip to the World Series since 2018.

Gauthier Amedee won three straight games to reach the championship matchup on Sunday night. There, the Sharks faced Alabama’s Troy Post 70, a team they beat 24 hours earlier.

But this time around, Troy surged to a 6-2 win, ending the Sharks’ season.

Gauthier Amedee opened the regional tournament on Wednesday night with a 9-4 victory over  Alabama’s Shelby County Post 555. The Sharks fought back from a 3-1 deficit to capture that win.

Dutchtown’s Tanner Vadnais was 3-4 with a walk and two RBIs. St. Amant’s Lee Amedee and East Ascension alum Kael Babin also produced two RBIs apiece. 

East Ascension’s Dominick Regira scored three runs.

From the mound, St. Amant’s Brayden Billingsley pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering just three hits and no earned runs. He struck out seven.

On Thursday, the Sharks suffered their first loss, dropping a 2-1 contest against Mississippi’s Tupelo Post 49.

Tupelo scored both of its runs in the bottom of the first inning, as a result of four hits.

In the top of the third, Gauthier Amedee cut the deficit in half following a sac grounder by Ascension Catholic alum Jacob Dunn.

But the Sharks couldn’t muster anymore offense.

Dutchtown’s Reuben Williams was the only Shark player with multiple hits. He went 2-3. 

Dutchtown’s Nick Gisclair was a tough-luck loser on the mound. Gisclair pitched six complete and surrendered just six hits and two runs. He struck out eight.

The Sharks went on to win three straight elimination games.

On Friday, they hammered Missouri’s St. Joseph Post 11, 13-3.

Regira and Amedee each went 3-3 and scored three runs. Amedee added three RBIs. St. Amant’s Cole Poirrier was 2-2 with a walk, a homer and four RBIs.

The Sharks piled up 11 hits in the win.

On Saturday, Gauthier Amedee took down Troy, 5-3, to reach the championship round of the regional.

Ascension Catholic’s Lex Melancon was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI, while Babin was 2-2 with an RBI.

East Ascension’s Luke Conerly earned the victory from the mound. He pitched six complete, surrendering just four hits and three runs. He struck out four.

Gauthier Amedee played Tupelo in a semifinal matchup on Sunday evening. The Sharks fought through a lengthy weather delay to pick up an 11-9 victory.

Dunn had a huge game as he went 4-5 with an RBI, and he scored two runs.

Vadnais and Dutchtown’s Will Delaune each produced two RBIs, while Regira went 2-3 with two walks and an RBI. He also scored three runs.

That victory pushed the Sharks through to the championship game against Troy later that night. Unfortunately, Gauthier Amedee just couldn’t generate the mojo it had working for it during the three-game winning streak.

The Sharks fell down 6-0 after four innings, and they ended up suffering a 6-2 defeat.

Gauthier Amedee was limited to just two hits for the game. Those hits were generated by Delaune and Melancon. Delaune drove in both Shark runs.

It was quite a season for Gauthier Amedee under first-year head coach Kade Keowen. The ball club won its second state championship in three years, and it finished as the Mid-South Region runner-up.

Overall, the Sharks finished with a record of 25-11-1.