The Minden Crimson battled hard to keep their season alive Saturday, but a late rally by No. 3 seed Lutcher ended it.
Lutcher, the designated visiting team, scored a run in the top of the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at three. The Bulldogs took the lead with two runs in the top of the eighth.
Hudson Brown led off the bottom of the inning with a single but Lutcher’s Davis St. Pierre sat down the next three Tide batters in order.
Lutcher (25-11) completed the two-game sweep in the second round of the non-select Division II playoffs with the 5-3 victory at Lutcher.
Minden, the No. 14 seed, closed it season 21-16.
The Tide scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the second.
Brown, Jaxon Smith, Keegan Pope and Topher Wilson led off with consecutive singles. With two outs, Landyn Huddleston doubled to center, making it 3-0.
Lutcher’s Bryson Keller hit a home run in the top of the fourth, cutting the Tide’s lead to two. The Bulldogs scored another run in the top of the fifth on three consecutive singles with one out. But Minden pitcher Smith limited the damage by getting a strikeout and inducing a flyout.
Lutcher tied it with the run in the seventh. The Bulldogs scored the two runs in the eighth on three singles and a passed ball.
Brown finished 2-for-3. Huddleston and Pope went 2-for-4.
Smith went 6 1/3 innings. He allowed three runs, struck out three and walked two.