Mamou handles Sterlington, goes to Fisher next

The 11th seeded team in Class 2A, Mamou, earned a 5-1 win over the Sterlington Lady Panthers Tuesday in Mamou. The victory was impressive over a very tough Sterlington team that has always managed to be very tough on teams in the first round of the playoffs.
Mamou will now move on and face the sixth seed, Fisher. The Lady Gators defeated the Lady Knights of Episcopal 15-0 in four innings in their first round game. Mamou travels to the Jefferson Parish school Saturday. They will play at 5 p.m.
The winner of Fisher and Mamou will advance to the Class 2A Branch of the State Tournament in Sulphur. The winner will meet the winner of Menard, the third seed, and Pope John Paul, the 14th seed. The Lady Eagles of Menard defeated Pine High School 16-0 in the first round. The Lady Jaguars of PJP beat Doyle in the first round by a score of 2-1 in eight innings.
Mamou got on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Pitcher Amber Manuel walked and Alana Komorowski singled up the middle. Maggie Soileau perfectly executed a sacrifice that moved both runs into scoring position. A single from Kelsie Guillory brought Manuel home to score and Kourtnie Deshotel singled home Komorowski.
Manuel went to work shutting down the Lady Panthers. In seven innings, she fanned seven batters and allowed five hits. She allowed just one run, which came in the fourth block.
Mamou put two more runs on the board in the third frame. Maggie Soileau and Kelsie Guillory each singled with one out. Deshotel followed with another single, loading up the bases. Lauren Soileau slapped a shot to right field to keep things going. Soileau’s shot pushed two more runs home, making it a 4-0 contest.
Sterlington put up the one and only run in the top of the fourth inning. Mamou answered back with a run in the bottom of the block. Ariel Lavigne reached on an error with one out. Komorowski later hit into a fielder’s choice. That allowed Lavigne to cross the dish and make it a 5-1 contest.
Guillory and Deshotel each finished the day with a 2-3 performance at the plate to pace the Mamou offense.
Fisher will give Mamou a test in their quest for the trip to Sulphur. Fisher is 17-4 and they won District 9-2A with a 4-0 record. One thing that works out good for Mamou is that Fisher has not played the type of competition that Mamou has.