Mighty mites

RAGLEY -- The VPGSA 6U T-Ball All-Stars may be small in statue, but they sure don’t know that.
The band of mighty mites have not only rolled through every tournament they have played in this season, but they have also proven that big things come in small packages.
Last weekend the All-Stars took home another tournament title when they plowed through the field at the PONY Regional Tournament held in Eunice to win the championship trophy.
So far this season, Ville Platte has not lost a game and will look to continue that streak at the PONY World Series to be held in Youngsville. Tournament play for the World Series begins on July 17 with opening ceremonies slated for July 16.
According to head coach Sadie Figueiredo the group of young players are fun to be around because of their work ethic and because they weather any situation.
“Before every game, they are so fired up and ready to play,” stated Figueiredo. “They want to please the coaches, and they give everything they have on the field. The one thing about them is they are super hard on themselves. If they make a mistake, they can sometimes let it get them down.”
Still, Figueiredo was ecstatic about the team’s performance the entire tournament.
“This was a fun one,” said Figueiredo. “The girls played some outstanding ball and were on fire the entire game. We hit the ball extremely well, but our defense really showed up to play.”
The defense did indeed show up to play, with Ville Platte turning a triple play and throwing out runners from third to first; something you rarely see in T-Ball competition.
Ville Platte started the tournament with a Friday pool game against SLYAA out of Opelousas. The All-Stars dominated every aspect of the game as they took down SLYAA 16-3. In that game, Ville Platte scored the max number of runs in every at bat.
The All-Stars continued pool play Friday afternoon, facing off against Youngsville. The four inning affair saw Ville Platte take an 8-4 lead after two innings of play en route to a 14-8 win.
The first bracket contest for the All-Stars on Saturday pitted Ville Platte against Youngsville once again. The All-Stars bested their previous win over the Lafayette Parish squad with a 19-11 win.
An exciting game followed the win over Youngsville, as Ville Platte found a way to squeeze out a 16-15 win over Kinder to send them to the championship game.
On Sunday, the All-Stars had to battle Kinder once again for the title and regional bragging rights. This time around Ville Platte did not waste time in putting Kinder in its place as they took down the Allen Parish team 16-10.
With the World Series on the horizon, Figueiredo is hoping her team stays with the hot hand.
“If we can continue to play the way we have in the field and score runs, anything can happen at the World Series,” said Figueiredo. “I know this, the girls will be ready.”