LOREAUVILLE — The Loreauville Tigers took the first step towards defending their Class 2A State Championship Monday when Beau Blanchard and Gavin Lancon combined on a no-hitter and Michael Latulas has two triples and drove in four runs as the No. 8 seed Tigers scored early and often in beating No. 25 seed Northeast 16-0 in five innings in the first round of the playoffs.

Blanchard walked one and struck out 10 in four innings of work and Lancon struck out three and walked one in an inning of relief for Loreauville while Tigers scored 16 run on 15 hits, including eight extra-base hits in advancing to the second round, where they will play host to a best of three series against the winner of Port Allen and Mangham starting Friday night.

“We got it going a little early today and it kind of took the pressure off,” LHS head coach Rob Segura said. “First-round playoff games are always scary because it is one game. 

“You don’t know much about the other team so it was good to get out to an early lead.”

Loreauville scored three runs in the first and two more in the second before blowing the game open with a huge eight run third inning capped off by an three run fourth. After Northeast couldn’t muster anything offensively in the top of the fifth, the game was called by mercy rule and the Tigers moved onto the second round.

“We swung the bats well today,” Segura said. “We actually hit the ball on the nose a couple of times that went right to the defense. But you keep applying pressure and good things are going to happen.”

A mere 48 hours after scoring 13 runs to beat Rayne in the season-finale Saturday, the Tigers pounded out 16 runs against the Vikings.

Latulas and Shajuan Nora each had three hits, Zy Alexander, Jordy Broussard and Landon Lagrange each had two hits and Jobe Hebert, Josh Guillot and Mycal Jones each had a hit in the win.

In addition to Latulas’ two triples, Nora had a triple and a double, Lagrange had two doubles, and Jones and Alexander each had a double for the Tigers.

All those hits and runs was more than enough support for Blanchard and Lancon.

“They pitched well today,” said Segura. “They kept the ball low and their hitters off-balance.”

Now the Tigers look towards the second round and a visit from either the No. 9 seed Dragons or the 25th seeded Pelicans.

“It changes things a little bit since it’s a best of three but you still have to go out and win game one,” said Segura. “Even if you slip up on that first game you still have two games on Saturday.

“But for us, we’re still playing one game at a time. So we’ll concentrate on Friday’s game and then go from there.”

The best of three will start Friday night and then a second game Saturday and an if necessary game set for Saturday afternoon.

Segura said that game times for the second round haven’t been decided yet because Port Allen and Mangham were slated to play today so it nothing could be decided until tonight at the earliest.

In other games Monday, No. 27 seed New Iberia was beaten 11-1 by No. 6 seed Ruston in the first round of the Class 5A playoffsNo. 32 seed Franklin dropped a 15-0 decision to top-seed Winnfield in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs.

Ruston plays the winner of Northshore and Ponchatoula in the second round while Winnfield plays the Fisher/Delcambre winner.

In today’s playoff action, in Class 4A, No. 32 seed Westgate is on the road at No. 1 seed  Tioga; in Class 3A, No. 2 seed Erath was playing host to Lake Charles College Prep and in Class 2A, No. 17 seed Delcambre was at No. 16 seed Fisher. Wednesday’s playoff game has No. 15 seed Centerville playing host to No. 18 seed KIPP Booker T. Washington in Class A.