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MAMOU -- For the first time since 2011, the Mamou Lady Demons have punched their ticket to the quarterfinal round of the state softball playoffs after a resounding 11-1 six inning run-rule win over the Sterlington Lady Panthers Tuesday afternoon.
With the win, Mamou improves to 20-8 overall and will take on Berwick on the road in the next round of the post-season. As of Thursday’s press deadline game day and time had not been finalized.
After the game, an elated Mamou head coach Kim Manuel talked about how the Lady Demons have gotten to this point.
“This group of girls have been working hard ever since they were eighth graders and had to go into the varsity role,” stated Manuel. “They have persevered throughout the season and have gelled as a unit. Early in the season they bonded and when that happened, things just fell into place. They do not care who the hero is, they just play as a team.”
Things started slowly offensively for both clubs. Sterlington found themselves with runners at first and second and two outs in their first at bat, but Lady Demon hurler Dacia Richard was able to shut down the Lady Panthers threat by striking out Madison Stevens for the third out.
Mamou’s Madison Fontenot reached first base with a two out single in the bottom of the first. However, the Lady Demons could not string together the hits to push her across the plate.
The second inning was a wash as both teams failed to tally once again. Nevertheless, after blanking Sterlington in the top of the third, the Mamou bats came alive in a big way in the bottom half of the inning.
Emily Soileau led off with a double to right-center field. Following a pop-up to the catcher, Richard blasted a waist high fast ball over the left-center field wall to give the Lady Demons a 2-0 edge.
Sterlington went down in order in the top of the fourth, paving the way for the Mamou offense to do their biggest damage of the night. In the bottom of the fourth, the Lady Demons batted around, collecting seven runs on five hits to open up a commanding 9-0 lead. Doubles by Angel Menier and Taylor Douget along with singles from Sydney Bruney, Teralyn Fontenot and Soileau aided in the huge inning.
After a scoreless fifth inning for both teams, the Lady Panthers were able to produce a single run in the top of the sixth. A one out single from Hannah Jenkins and a double off of the bat of Rachael Wisecarver gave Sterlington their first and only run of the game.
Needing only two runs to secure a run-rule win, Mamou went back to work at the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Both Richard’s courtesy runner, Alyssa West, and Douget’s courtesy runner Hannah Israel reached home plate on a single from Sophia Fritz. Those two runs made it an 11-1 game and gave the Lady Demons their spot in the quarterfinals.
Soileau was 2 for 4 at the plate with a double and an RBI to lead Mamou offensively. Richard threw six complete innings, giving up one run on four hits while striking out six and walking one.