Belles of the ball

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

If you are going to win a World Series title, why not win it in dramatic fashion.
For the Louisiana Dixie Belles, coming out of the loser’s bracket to seal a title is old hat. As the Pine Prairie Dixie Belles, these young ladies lost to Rayville and had to defeat them twice in the finals to  make it to the World Series and represent Louisiana.
So, when the this gritty, determined group of players fell to Florida in game three, it was familiar territory.
“After we lost to Florida, the girls were a little down,” said head coach Travis McFarlain. “But we brought them aside and told them to remember that no team had beat them twice this season.”
That motivational speech must have done the trick, because after that Louisiana moved through the bracket like a well oiled machine, picking off opponents one at a time. The Louisiana Belles forced a three-way tie, after defeating Florida on Tuesday.
Now Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina all had one loss. Florida and Louisiana drew for a bye and the chance to wait for the other two teams to play.
When McFarlain reached into the hat to pull for the bye, one thing entered his mind.
“At the state tournament, I lost the coin flip in the championship game, so I knew that coach Woody Harvey was thinking I wasn’t going to pull the bye,” said McFarlain, laughingly.
However, when he pulled his hand out of the hat, McFarlain’s worst fears turned into pure elation.
“I just started jumping up and down,” said McFarlain. “I didn’t think anyone was paying attention. Then I heard the crowd go crazy and all the girls just ran up and started jumping up and down too.”
According to McFarlain, winning a World Series title is exciting, but deserving.
“It is a great feeling to know that you are one of the best teams in the south,” stated McFarlain. “These girls deserved to win, they worked really hard for this title. They battled throughout the heat of the summer, practicing and playing almost everyday.”
“All of these girls have not stopped playing since January. They went through school ball and now this. They could have shut it down, but they didn’t. Their love for the game came through this season. I am proud of each and everyone of them.”
McFarlain points to his assistant coaches as a major reason why the team was so successful this summer.
“We could not have accomplished this without the help of the other coaches,” commented McFarlain. “Coach Woody Harvey and Coach Michelle Griffing did a tremendous job of getting the team to this point. I want to thank them for their amazing contribution.”
McFarlain also knows that the support of the fans and parents were a key in the championship run.
“I want to thank all of the parents for their unbelievable support,” stated McFarlain. “Also we had fans that drove back and forth after work to come and see us play. I know at times we had close to 250 fans. It meant a lot to the girls to have that support.’
Here is a rundown of the games played at the World Series.

Louisiana vs.Tennessee
Louisiana controlled the first game of the World Series from the start, using great pitching and defense in a 4-1 win over Tennessee.
Louisiana came out of the starting gates, plating two runs in the bottom of the first. Team Louisiana added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to expand their lead.
Tennessee did manage to plate a single run in the top of the sixth, but outstanding pitching shut down the would be rally.

Louisiana vs. Alabama
Louisiana allowed only three hits to Alabama, as they cruised to an 11-0 win in a five inning run-rule win.
Louisiana jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning of play. The Evangeline parish group exploded for seven more runs in the top of the fourth to extend their lead.
Louisiana added a single run in the top of the fifth to close out the scoring. Alabama was blanked in the bottom of the fifth to close out the game.

Louisiana vs. Florida
In what would be a pitcher’s duel that only produced nine total hits, Florida rallied late to take the 3-2 win over Louisiana.
Neither squad could muster much offense, as the game remained scoreless for the first four innings of play.
Louisiana was first on the board, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Florida came back in the top of the seventh, plating three runs to take the 3-2 lead. However, Louisiana could not retaliate in the bottom of the seventh, giving Florida the win.

Louisiana vs. East Ouachita
In an elimination game, Louisiana faced off against the host team, East Ouchita.
Louisiana rebouded from a tough loss to Florida to walk away with a 14-0 win over East Ouachita.
 Louisiana did not get on the board until the top of the fourth, when they plated four runs. That is when the flood gates opened for Louisiana.
Louisiana pushes across four more runs in the top of the sixth to take an 8-0 lead. A six run explosion in the top  of the seventh ended the offensive fireworks for Louisiana.
East Ouachita was held to only two hits the entire game.

Louisiana vs. Florida
Revenge and a chance at a championship title was the name of the game for Louisiana as they took on Florida for the second time in the tournament.
Louisiana used timely pitching and spot on defense to take down Florida 5-1 in the rematch.
 Louisiana jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, plating a single run in the top of the first. Florida tied the game in the bottom of the third with a run of their own.
Louisiana regained the advantage in the top of the fourth, scoring two huge runs. Florida could not match the run production in the bottom of the inning and found themselves down 3-1.
Louisiana sealed the win by adding lone runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Florida was held to only three hits the entire contest.

Louisiana vs. North Carolina
It was a back-and-forth affair in the Championship Game against North Carolina. After three lead exchanges, Louisiana put North Carolina away for good in the bottom of the sixth for an 8-5 win.
North Carolina went up 1-0 in the top of the first. Louisiana plated two runs in the bottom of the inning to take the 2-1 lead.
North Carolina tied the game in the second, scoring a single run. They then proceeded to take the lead in the fourth adding another run. However, Louisiana did not fold, tacking on two runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 4-4.
The bottom of the sixth proved to be the difference for Louisiana, as they added four ever so important runs to their total. North Carolina tried to rally in the top of the seventh, plating two runs. But, Louisiana shut down the attempted comeback to take home the title.