More optimistic

PINE PRAIRIE -- Even though Ville Platte’s Dixie Major All-Star’s head coach John Pitre was confident in his team heading into the East Sub-District tournament this past weekend, he still needed to see his team play in live situations to get a good feel of where they were up to at this point.
So, when Ville Platte came away undefeated and unscored upon, Pitre, needless to say, was definitely pleased with the overall performance of his squad.
“After watching us play, I am more optimistic heading into district than I was before this tournament,” stated Pitre. “Don’t get me wrong, we still have a lot of work to do, but I feel we are well on our way,”
“I thought our pitching and defense were as good as can be,” he continued. “Our hitting definitely came around as the tournament progressed. We truly had a full team contribution this weekend. We have to just keep working hard and continue improving.”
There was no doubt that Ville Platte’s defense and pitching shined throughout the tournament. The All-Stars allowed no runs through the three games played and did not commit an error, all the while making routine play after routine play.
Offensively, Ville Platte managed to pick up clutch hits in key situations, scoring 21 runs total in the tourney.
Ville Platte began play against a tough Oakdale squad on Friday afternoon. In that game, the All-Star pitching staff combined to strike out 11 Oakdale batters in a 6-0 win.
The first two innings of the game did not see a single run scored, despite the fact that Ville Platte left two runners in scoring position. However, the boys in blue picked up four big runs in the bottom of the third inning on two hits.
Ville Platte tacked on a single run in the fourth and another run in the fifth to close out the game and pick up their first official win of the all-star season.
Game two saw the Ville Platte bats come alive, as they were able to run rule Pine Prairie 10-0 in four innings. As in the previous game, the All-Stars threatened in the top of the first inning, getting a runner to third base, but were unable to push that runner across.
In the bottom of the first, Pine Prairie had an opportunity to move ahead, as they secured a runner at second base. But, the Ville Platte defense came up with two big outs to stamp out the impending hazard.
Ville Platte managed to plate a run in the top of the second inning and then proceeded to scratch out three more runs in the top of the third to take a 4-1 lead after three innings of play.
The offensive explosion for the All-Stars actually occurred the following inning, as the All-Stars racked up six runs on four hits to put the game out of reach.
The final game of the tournament saw Ville Platte take on familiar foe Mamou for the tournament title. A combination of solid defense, superb pitching and timely hitting gave Ville Platte the 5-0 win and the championship trophy.
Ville Platte struck quickly, scoring one run in the bottom of the first inning. The All-Stars would not score again until the bottom of the fourth inning when they were able to notch their final four runs of the game.
In the meantime, Ville Platte starting pitcher Hayden Droddy was dealing on the mound, sending 17 of the 20 batters he faced back to the dugout.
Ville Platte will resume play in the District Tourney on June 28 in Leesville.