Franklinton’s Demons came up short in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs in a 6-5 loss to Neville on the road Tuesday.
All of the scoring was done in the first four innings.
Franklinton led 2-0 after the first, but Neville tied the game at 2-2 in the second. The Demons went in front 4-2 in the third, but Neville went in front, 5-4, in the bottom of the frame. Franklinton tied the game in the top of the fourth and Neville took the lead, 6-5, in the bottom of the fourth and went on to win by that score.
Trent Varnado had a strong day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with two doubles.
Wyatt Verret went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and he stole two bases.
Jared Jenkins, Jalen Burkhalter and Landon Keller all had one hit.
Franklinton committed three errors that led to four unearned runs.
Nate Bracey was solid in relief. He gave up just one run, which was unearned, on three hits with a strikeout over four innings.
No. 19 Franklinton finished the 2018 season with a 17-11 record.
“It was an up-and-down season,” Franklinton coach Jeff Tageant said. “We played real good at times and not so good at times. We’re looking forward to having a great offseason with the many great returning players we have.”
The Demons had three seniors this year in J.P. Magee, Raisean Hart and Ashton Cocoran. Tageant praised his seniors.
“It’s a group that worked real hard and I’m proud of the success they had,” Tageant said.
No. 14 Neville improved to 17-18 and advanced to the regional round to face third-seeded DeRidder in a best-of-three series. DeRidder, which is 30-5, defeated No. 30 Plaquemine, 4-0.