YOUNGSVILLE -- Despite being behind in the championship game on Sunday, the VPGSA 8U All-Stars were able to reach back and find another gear to take home the USSSA Class C State Tournament title this past weekend.
“All of the girls and the coaches had a great time, even though we had to wait out several rain and lightning delays,” stated head coach Sunny LaHaye. “The team really came together and played extremely well. The biggest thing was that they had fun, even though we got behind in the final game. They showed true determination and kept up their spirits the whole time. It was definitely fun to watch.”
The actual first games of the tournament were played at Pelican Park in Carencro due to the number of teams involved and the prediction of bad weather.
Ville Platte came out of the gate showing everyone that they were a team to be reckoned with as they picked up a 14-2 win over the Red Hots.
In that game, the All-Stars jumped out on top right away, picking up five runs in the first inning to take an early 5-1 lead. Ville Platte tacked on six more runs in the second inning and held the Red Hots to only one run to move ahead 11-2. The final three runs of the game came in the third inning of play.
On Saturday, the All-Stars moved to Erath for the start of bracket play. In their first bracket game, Ville Platte blew open a 1-1 tie after two innings of play to take an 8-5 win over Louisiana Legacy.
The two teams each plated a run in the first inning and were held scoreless in the second inning. However, Ville Platte put six runs across in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead.
Louisiana Legacy added a run in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth, but the All-Stars finished out the game with a solo run in that same inning.
Game two on Saturday saw the Ville Platte bats explode for double digit runs as they took out the Titans 14-4. Even though the All-Stars fell behind 4-2 after the first inning of play, they did not falter the rest of the game, punishing the ball for two runs in the second and five runs in the third and fifth innings, respectfully.
On Sunday, the All-Stars moved over to Youngsville to finish out the rest of the tournament. Undeterred by the change in venue, Ville Platte continued to blast the ball all over the field in their 14-0 drubbing of Stars and Stripes.
It was no contest from the start, as the All-Stars held a 5-0 lead after one inning of play and a 9-0 lead after their second round of batting. Ville Platte closed out the game with one run in the third and four more runs in the fourth.
All that was left was a date with the Titans in the title match. In that game, Ville Platte grabbed a 6-3 lead after the first inning. But, the Titans climbed back into the game by plating four runs in their next two at bats to take the 7-6 advantage.
Nevertheless, the All-Stars were not going to let the championship slip from their hands, as they rallied for six runs in the bottom of the third and two more runs in the fourth to finish off a 14-7 win.
Image
TRACEY JAGNEAUX