Fighting off the storm

VILLE PLATTE -- In one of the most exhilarating games this softball season, the Shine posted a 1-0 win over the Hurricanes in Ville Platte Girl’s Softball Association action this past Thursday evening at the Ville Platte/Evangeline Parish Recreational Complex.
The winning run, coming on a steal of second base nonetheless, came in the third inning of play and gave the Shine their eighth win of the season. The Shine finished with a perfect record.
Shine starting pitcher Ella Ortego pitched three strong innings, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out five. Blaykelee Thibodeaux finished out the shut out win, throwing the final inning, striking out two.
Offensively, the Shine only recorded one hit in the contest. That lack of offense was evident in their initial at bat in the top of the first inning, when all three batters went down on strikeouts via Hurricane starting hurler Elle Melder.
Ortego retired the first two Hurricane batters in the bottom of the first inning. Vidrine did not allow herself to be the third batter in a row to go down, as she doubled to the outfield wall.
Vidrine stole third base and was poised to score the first run of the game. However, Ortego induced a ground ball to first baseman Thibodeaux, who promptly stepped on the bag for the third out, thus ending the Hurricane threat.
As spot on as Melder was in the first inning, the young pitcher began to lose control in the top of the second inning. The patience of the Shine allowed them to induce three walks from Melder within the at bat.
Stuck in between those walks, the Hurricanes were able to collect two outs. Nevertheless, the Shine was still able to load the bases with two outs. Feeling the heat, Melder struck out the next batter, killing any chances of the Shine plating a run.
The Hurricanes threatened once again in the bottom of the second inning. Cheyenne Maricle doubled to lead the inning off.
Lily Bordelon singled, pushing Maricle to third base. In what turned out to be one of the most important plays of the game, Maricle was caught in a run-down between third and home when she got off the bag a little too far.
Maricle was thrown out at the plate and Ortego proceeded to strike out the next two batters, stranding Bordelon on the bags which in turn kept the game scoreless.
Ortego used that defensive momentum to propel the offense in the top of the third inning by doubling to lead things off. Ortego was given the go ahead to steal second base.
The throw down to the bag was off target and reached the wall in center field, allowing Ortego to score the first and only run of the game. The Shine were sent down in order after the scoring play, but the damage had been done.
Ortego retired the side in the bottom of the third inning, setting up the final at bat for both teams.
Melder was replaced by ace pitcher Vidrine in the top of the fourth inning. Vidrine wasted no time, sending all three batters she faced back to the dugout.
With the game on the line and the time limit coming to an end, the Hurricanes needed to secure at least one run to extend the contest. The Shine responded by putting Thibodeaux into the game to finish things off.
Thibodeaux struck out the first batter she faced, but walked Vidrine, one of the fastest, if not the fastest player on the Hurricanes. Vidrine proved that by stealing second and then third base.
With the tying run sitting only 60 feet away from home plate, Thibodeaux reached for something extra, striking out the batter following Vidrine and then getting the last out on a routine ground ball to second base.