LLOG Exploration (Mandeville High) rode a two-run shot by first baseman Ryan Lassus, to defeat Post 16 (Covington High), 10-8, Tuesday in an American Legion West Division game played at Jimmy “Doc” Davis Field.

LLOG Exploration (10-5) trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth upped its West Division record to 5-3, while Post 16 (8-11) fell to 2-6 in division play.

LLOG Exploration coach Matt Brown said his club was in a must win situation to keep its potential playoff hopes alive with two division games remaining.

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“I told the guys after the game by winning we remained at least in a tie for second place in the division. It was a big win for us, and we needed it,” Brown said.

In other key American Legion West Division action Tuesday, Piggly Wiggly (Loranger High), the West Division leader (7-1), edged Peake BMW (St. Paul’s) 5-3, to hang on to a two-game lead with two games left.

Pevey Realtors (Ponchatoula High) remained tied for second, taking a 9-0 victory over Hammond High. LLOG Exploration, Peak BMW and Pevey Realtors are all tied for second place with 5-3 division marks.

Trailing 5-4 entering the top of the fifth, LLOG Exploration sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring four runs on six hits to take an 8-5 lead.

Post 16 starter Corey Galloway went four and two-third innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits. He gave up a leadoff double to Michael Pustanio, who ended up on third following a throwing error on the hit.

Thomas Anderson, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, drove home Pustanio with a sacrifice fly to shallow right that Post 16 second baseman Bo Tedesco made a nice over-the-shoulder catch. Joey Pajares, two-for-three with a walk, singled to left but was erased after being picked off by Galloway. Blake Butera, who reached on three of four plate appearances, including a two-run single, drew a walk and advanced to second on a passed ball. Lassus stepped in and worked the count full against Galloway before depositing a two-run blast over the left field fence, his third homer of the summer, to give his club a 7-5 lead.

“He gave me a fastball right down the middle. I just got a good swing, and it went out. It was amazing. I felt like my swing was perfect,” Lassus said.

Lee Batchelder followed Lassus’ homer with a single and was replaced by courtesy runner Chris Brady. Josh Goodwin delivered a single to center. Galloway was pulled and replaced by Chuckie Humphries. Michael Symms cracked an RBI single to right field, scoring Brady to push the advantage to 8-5. Kody Keowen, who was 1-for-1 with three walks, reached on a base on balls to load the bases. Humphries, who was tagged with the loss, retired the next hitter on a ground out to short to end the inning. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits.

Batchelder (3-2), LLOG’s starting pitcher, got the victory going five innings. He allowed five runs on four hits with three strikeouts and four walks.

LLOG Exploration added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth to push its lead to 10-5. Anderson was hit by a pitch and Pajares singled. Butera drew a walk to load the bases. Lassus drove in his third run of the game, sending Anderson home with a ground out back to the pitcher. Pajares closed out the LLOG scoring alertly scooting home on a wild pitch.

Reliever John Wenzel entered the game in the bottom of the sixth, replacing Batchelder. After Wenzel struck out the first batter, Tedesco singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch with David Dawsey drawing a walk. Brady replaced Wenzel with LLOG leading 10-5 with runners on first and second with one out. Brady hit Brady King with a pitch to load the bases. Dexter Thompson drove home Tedesco with an RBI grounder back to the mound to make it 10-6. Cory Ricks kept the come back alive, ripping a two-run triple to right-center field scoring Dawsey and King to trim the lead to 10-8. Brady retired Jeffry Joiner on a ground out to second to strand Ricks. Joiner was 2-for-4 on the night with two runs batted in.

Keowen doubled with one out in the top of the seventh but got no further as Humphries struck out the next two batters to close the inning.

Post 16 didn’t go away quietly in the bottom of the seventh making things interesting facing Brady. Galloway led off with a double to left followed by a walk to Jourdon Taylor. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch. Travis Long earned a walk to fill the bases still with nobody out. Brady struck out Tedesco and Dawsey before retiring King on a first-pitch grounder to second baseman Symms who made the play.

“I wanted to locate the ball and didn’t want to give him too good of a pitch to hit,” said Brady, who notched his second save. “ I jammed him, and he grounded out to second. The pitch was supposed to be outside actually but it got in on him.”

Brady said he was in a bases loaded situation earlier in the summer, and he was able to come through.

“Being a reliever you can get in some difficult situations. With the bases loaded, I just had to concentrate on throwing strikes. It was definitely a great win for us.”

Coach Brown said Brady did a good job getting out of the jam in the seventh inning to preserve the victory.