It wasn’t official until the division championship races were settled last week, but the St. Aloysius Lady Flashes didn’t have to wait until the playoff brackets were finalized. They knew their road to a state title would have to go through Bogue Chitto.

It always does.

The two teams meet up this afternoon in Bogue Chitto for a second-round Class 1A playoff doubleheader. If a Game 3 is necessary, it will be played Tuesday at Bazinsky Park. It’s the second straight season the teams will meet in the playoffs, and the third time in four years they’ll play with the season on the line.

“He’s (Scott Leggett) been a thorn in my side for years. But I’ve been a thorn in his a few times, too,” said St. Al coach Gene Rogillio. “We were in the district with them in 2006 and 2007, then we played in the playoffs last year. Somehow or another, we manage to find each other.”

More often than not, that happens to be in a crucial spot late in the season.

In 2006, Bogue Chitto beat St. Al in a 10-inning thriller to eliminate the Lady Flashes from playoff contention. St. Al won a regular season game in 2007, but Bogue Chitto took last year’s first-round playoff series in three games.

The constant run-ins between the two teams has created a rivalry between them. The fact that most of the games have been nail-biters, as well as the stakes that are usually involved, has also created a mutual respect.

“They’re a good team. Their coach knows it’s not going to be easy and we know it’s not going to be easy,” St. Al senior pitcher Sarah Franco said. “It’s easier to get pumped up knowing I have to bring it against a good team like that.”

Three of the last four meetings between the teams have been decided by a total of five runs. That includes their most recent meeting, a 2-1 Bogue Chitto victory at the Brookhaven tournament in late March that was shortened by a time limit. That left Franco with a feeling of unfinished business.

“The only thing that got us was the time limit,” she said. “With seven innings, I think it’ll be a good game. It’ll be anybody’s game.”

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com