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RAYVILLE, La. – The Concordia 10U All-Stars baseball team made a strong run in tournament play this past weekend in Rayville, showcasing growth, grit, and standout individual performances before just falling short of a regional berth.

The team opened tournament play on Thursday with a tough 15-1 loss to eventual tournament champion Rayville All-Stars, who exploded in the second inning, scoring 13 runs.

Shep Edwards singled to drive in Concordia’s lone run in the first, and then it was all Rayville from there. Despite the loss, Concordia played clean, error-free defense, with Tucker Blaney’s four fielding chances.

Friday brought a bounce-back performance, as Parker Johns drove in six runs to lift Concordia to a 12-2 victory over West Monroe All-Stars. Johns tripled in the first inning to score two runs and later hit an inside-the-park grand slam in the fifth.

Rhett Chandler dominated on the mound, striking out five and allowing just three hits in three innings. The team drew 12 walks and stole 15 bases, with multiple swipes by Chandler, Taylor Gales, Allen Crigler, and Ryder Holland. Once again, the defense stood tall with no errors, and Johns recorded nine fielding chances.

Saturday began with another strong showing, this time against the East Ouachita All-Stars. An eight-run second inning powered Concordia to a 12-2 win. Gales tripled in two runs, Tucker Blaney and Crigler each hit inside-the-park home runs, while other players recorded multiple hits, with one of those being Johns, who went 3-for-3 in the game with six RBIs and scored two runs. The All-Stars ran wild on the bases again with 16 steals and received shutout relief pitching from Edwards and Gales.

Later that day, Concordia faced off with Rayville once again in a semifinal showdown that went down to the wire. The All-Stars gave their toughest fight yet, but fell short, losing 6-5. Concordia outhit Rayville 12-8, with Johns going 3-for-3 once again and Cruz Dean diving two key runs with a fifth-inning double that temporarily gave Concordia a 5-3 lead. Chandler and Dean split duties on the mound, combining for six strikeouts.

“We had Rayville on the ropes,” Coach Joshua Johns said. “We should have won the game. Missed out on an opportunity, but the kids gave it their all.”

Offensively throughout the tournament, Johns led the charge at the plate, going a perfect 8-for-8 with a 1.000 batting average and eight RBIs. Crigler also added four hits and batted .667, while Gales and Blaney also contributed four hits apiece.

Though Concordia’s semifinal loss meant they did not qualify for regionals, the team left the tournament with heads held high.

“All in all, a great tournament,” Coach Johns said. “A good group of kids came together really as a team those last few games. It was a good all-star season.”

Recaps and stats provided by GameChanger.