Memorable experience

CENTER, Texas -- Competing in a World Series can be a once in a lifetime experience.
That is why, despite the fact that the Ville Platte T-Ball All-Stars bowed out of the Dixie Youth Region III World Series early Monday, head coach David LaHaye was not disappointed in his team in the least.
“I just hope for their sake that this is something that they will never forget,” stated LaHaye. “They really got to experience things that they never have experienced before and may never experience again. It was an honor to wear Ville Platte on our chests and try to represent the town to the best of our ability. I really believe that we competed as well as we could have.”
Ville Platte faced some very tough competition from the get go, having to battle the best teams in the tournament just in their pool play. In fact the two teams that wound up playing for the championship were the top two seeds out of Ville Platte’s pool.
“When you have to face the best of the tournament right away, it kind of makes you feel like you are out of your element,” said LaHaye. “But once we saw that we can compete with these teams, I think the players saw that they could handle themselves.”
Ville Platte started the tournament against the eventual World Series runner-up Texarkana East. In that game, Ville Platte battled to a tie after two innings of play only to fall to their Arkansas opponent 21-12.
The All-Stars came out swinging, collecting seven runs in the top of the first inning. Getting some great defense, Ville Platte held Texarkana to only two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
The second inning was a reversal of the first. The All-Stars found their bats grow colder as they could only muster two runs in the top of the inning, while Texarkana stepped on the gas on offense, picking up seven runs to tie the game at 9-9.
Ville Platte managed three runs in the top of the third, with DJ Lewis, Jayce Herbert and Riley Fontenot all crossing the plate. However, Texarkana drove home seven more runs in their at bat.
Ville Platte drew a blank in terms of runs in the top of the fourth, as Texarkana moved five more runs across in the bottom of the inning to seal the win.
Game two of pool play saw Ville Platte take on a familiar foe, as they battled a team they had faced at State, Pineville. The game came down to the very end, with the All-Stars falling one run short in a 22-21 heartbreaking loss.
Ville Platte found themselves behind 7-3 after one inning of play. But each team put up seven runs in the second inning to keep the contest within reach.
A one run inning for both squads in the third made the score 15-11 in favor of Pineville. However Ville Platte outscored the Rapides Parish All-Stars 7-6 in the fourth inning to inch one run closer.
In their final at bat, Pineville secured a single run, putting Ville Platte down by four, 22-18. The All-Stars were able to push three runners, Deion Jones, Darren Dardeau and William Joubert across in the bottom half of the inning, but could not complete the comeback.
Game three of the tournament allowed Ville Platte to get back on track and into the win column as they downed Alexandria, 15-7.
The All-Stars picked up five runs in the top of the first when Kindez Doucet, JD LaHaye, Joubert, Lewis and Nicolas Drago all scored. Ville Platte then held Alexandria to only four runs in the bottom of the inning.
Ville Platte blanked Alexandria, 3-0, in the second inning, as Jones, Riley Fontenot and Jules Bischoff all touched home plate. A 5-3 advantage in the third inning put the All-Stars on top, 13-7.
Ville Platte added their final two runs in the top of the fourth when Beckett LaHaye singled home Joubert and Lewis. The All-Stars then held Alexadria to zero runs in their final at bat.
Ville Platte returned to pool play action on Sunday morning and picked up a pulse pounding, 17-16, win over Gilmer, Texas. In that game, William Brunet, who was injured before the tournament, was able to play.
The All-Stars pushed ahead of Gilmer, 7-4, after two innings of play and outpaced the Texas All-Stars, 7-4, in the third inning.
Gilmer responded with seven runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead by two, 16-14. However, Ville Platte was not going to be denied, as they plated three runs in the bottom half of the inning to garner their second win of the tournament.
In the final pool game on Sunday afternoon, the All-Stars took the field to try and knock down the eventual World Series champions, Splendora, Texas.
It was a tough challenge for the young All-Stars, but they handled the pressure well enough to actually own a 7-4 lead after one inning of play. Nevertheless, Splendora showed why they went undefeated throughout the tournament as they outscored Ville Platte, 14-3, over the next two innings.
The final four runs produced by the All-Stars in the top of the fourth was not enough to keep them in the game.
Taking their 2-3 record into the single elimination bracket on Monday, Ville Platte found themselves pitted against Hudson, Texas. Even with the renewed sense of confidence in their play, the All-Stars were unable to get any momentum going and fell, 13-12, to Hudson.
“I really want to thank everyone who got us here, including those who donated any type of money or supplies for us to have a tremendous trip,” said LaHaye. “Our parents were super involved and were absolutely amazing. They made it a family atmosphere. The mayor even came out on Monday to support us, which really gave us some spirit.”
“I want to say that my assistant coaches were unbelievable,” LaHaye continued. “James Shiver, Davis Jones and Brandon Dardeau were amazing with the players and truly helped me get the team through the season. I could not have done this without them. My hope is that the kids became better ball players and learned how to overcome adverse situations.”