Mamou 12U PONY all-stars survive tough bracket play to take home title

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

Mamou who? That was probably the question on the minds of the 17 other teams from Texas that participated in the PONY South Region World Series this past weekend in Highlands, Texas.
If they didn’t know before, they certainly know now, as Mamou used great pitching, amazing defense and an opportunistic offense to take home the PONY 12U World Series championship.
Mamou began their quest for the title last Wednesday. Eight games and three days later, the ladies in green held the title of World Series champions.
Mamou went 7-1 in the tournament and outscored their opponents 45-11. The only loss for the all stars came in pool play. Mamou was a perfect 6-0 in bracket play.
Winning a championship is an amazing feat at any level. But, for a group of 12 year old young ladies, it seems that winning championship may mean just a little bit more.
“It was very exciting to win the championship,” said an ecstatic Sophie Fritz. “It was so much fun. I knew that we had a chance before we went into the World Series. We were all glad to represent Mamou.”
Fritz pitched in every game of the tournament, a hard feat for any pitcher. However, she knew that her teammates had her back.
“It was hard for me to pitch in every game,” said Fritz. “But, I knew my defense was behind me, so I had a lot of confidence.”
Apparently, confidence was the one thing that the Mamou all-stars did not lack at the World Series. That confidence, it seems, was instilled in the preparations leading up to the tournament.
“I thought we could win it all,” stated Taylor Douget. “We worked very hard at practice and never gave up the entire all-star season. We played as team the entire time. It felt great to win. After the championship game, we were all hugging each other.”
Sometimes being in the moment is enough to make a player question if winning a championship has just become
“I did not even realize the game was over when we got the last out,” said Tobie Landry. “When I finally realized we had won, it was amazing. It feels really good to accomplish something like this. I am happy and sad at the same time. I am happy we won, but I am sad that softball is over, because I know I won’t play with this group of girls again.”
Mamou began the tournament on the right track, taking two out of three in pool play. The all-stars defeated Georgetown 7-0 in their first game and blanked the Mission all-stars 3-0 in game two.
Mamou fell to Weslaco on Thursday 6-4. It would be the only stumble in the World Series.
Here is a rundown of the bracket games played by Mamou in the World Series.

Mamou vs. Buffalo Valley
Mamou began slowly, but gathered steam as the first bracket game progressed in a 6-0 win over Buffalo Valley.
The all-stars allowed only two Buffalo Valley base runners the entire game.
Mamou jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring single runs in the first and second innings. Mamou added another run in the third inning to stretch their lead.
The Evangeline Parish team plated two runs in the fourth to extend the lead to 5-0. Mamou tacked on a single run in the fifth to close out the game and seal the win.

Mamou vs. BYBSA
Mamou continued to dominate both offensively and defensively in the second bracket game. The ladies in green scored early and often in a 8-1 win over the BYBSA Heat.
Mamou was held scoreless in the first inning. However, the all-stars started the offensive engines in the second inning, scoring six runs.
Another three runs in the third inning gave Mamou the 8-0 lead over the Heat. BYBSA did manage to plate a run in the bottom of the third, but could not do any more damage, as Mamou closed out the victory by striking out the last two

Mamou vs. Sebastian
Game three in bracket play was a thrilling extra inning contest against the Sebastian Bombers. The game, a 1-0 nail biting win, gave Mamou a spot in the final four teams.
Mamou had chances throughout the game, as they put runners at third base on three different occasions.
Sebastian did threaten in three separate innings, putting a runner at second base all three times.
Mamou held Sebastian scoreless in the sixth and final inning. With two out in the bottom of the sixth, Mamou plated the winning run to take the breathtaking win.

Mamou vs. Oak Hill
If game three was a gripping, heat pounding squeaker, the semi-final game was a yawner for Mamou. The all-stars scored in six of seven innings played to take a 12-1 win over Oak Hill.
Mamou jumped out in front 3-0 after plating single runs in the first three innings. Mamou tacked on four runs in the fourth and a single run in the fifth to extend their lead. The all-stars finished their offensive onslaught in the sixth by adding another four runs.
Oak Hill scored their only run in the top of the fifth.

Mamou vs. Sebastian
The championship game found Mamou in a rematch against the Sebastian Bombers. Once again, the two squads proved to be formidable opponents, as Mamou had to hold off a Sebastian last inning push to take the 4-3 win.
Mamou got on the board first, scoring three runs in the first three innings. Sebastian crept back in the game, plating a single run in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 3-1.
Mamou added an ever so important run in the bottom of the fourth to bring the advantage back to three.
Sebastian would not go away, as they plated two runs in the top of the fifth before Mamou could shut down the Bombers and close out the championship game.