Shining through

In one of the tightest contests this season in Ville Platte Girl’s Softball Association action, the Shine needed a single run in their last at bat to overtake the Sharknado in a 7-6 dramatic win Tuesday night.
The first inning of the contest was a pitcher’s duel between Shine statrer Blayklee Thibodeaux and Sharknado hurler Layla Fontenot.
Thibodeaux opened the game by sending all three of the Sharknado batters down in order in the top of the first inning via the strikeout. Fontenot returned the favor, getting the first Shine batters out by allowing her defense to assist her.
In the top of the second inning, the Sharknado finally broke through, scoring a single run. With one out, Abby Rose walked and stole second base.
A wild pitch allowed Rose to reach third base. With two out, the Shine decided to try and get Rose leaning too far off of her bag. A throw from the catcher to third base was errant and Rose trotted home for the first run of the game.
The Shine answered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the second inning. Eliza Lahaye singled and stole second base. Thibodeaux, helping her own cause, singled home Lahaye and reached second on the throw-in from the outfield.
Thibodeaux was replaced by courtesy runner Karli Fontenot, who promptly touched home plate on a triple off of the bat of Riley St. Cyr. Fontenot retired the next three Shine batters on strikeouts, but the damage was done as the Shine now owned a 2-1 lead.
Down by one, the Sharknado went to work once again in the top of the third inning. Fill-in player Jenna Veillon blasted a double into the outfield and moved around to home plate when the ball was off line on the throw in.
Another fill-in player, Aida-Lyse Johnson, followed that by reaching second base on an error by the shortstop. Johnson found herself at third base on a ground ball to shortstop and then reached the plate on a wild pitch.
Thibodeaux retired the side from there, but not until the Sharknado had regained the lead at 3-2.
In keeping with the rhythm of the game, the Shine produced enough runs to retake the lead back over again in the bottom half of the third inning. Back-to-back-to-back singles from Ella Ortego, Courtney Lavernge and Fontenot, coupled with errors by the Sharknado defense and a single from St. Cyr, allowed the Shine to produce four runs and open up a 6-3 lead.
The Sharknado did not panic. In the top of the fourth inning, Rose and Avery Beaver both drew walks. The two moved up to second and third on a fielder’s choice. With one out, Veillon made her presence known once again as she singled home Rose and Beaver to cut the Shine lead down to one.
Veillon would eventually reach home and tie the game after stealing second and crossing the plate on a single from Maci Droddy.
With the game on the line and time winding down, the Shine needed a single run in the bottom of the fourth to seal a win. Amelia Fontenot drew a lead off walk and stole second base.
Following a strikeout, Fontenot moved to third on a ground out to second base. With two outs, Fontenot reached the plate for the winning run on an error by the third baseman.