VPGSA 10 and under all-stars off to a good start; claim first title

The 2016 VPGSA 10-and-under all-star softball team got off to a great start last weekend winning a warm-up tournament in Scott.
The all-stars took on teams from around the area and according to head coach Shane Darbonne, the group showed a lot of heart for a team that consists of all 9-year-olds.
“I thought we competed exceptionally well in our opening tournament,” said Darbonne. “This was a good way to begin the all-star season. The girls really played hard. We had coaches from the other teams that could not believe that this was our first year of fast pitch competition. All of the coaches are very proud of how we did not let the other teams intimidate us.”
Ville Platte came out of the gate ready to show the area teams that they were a team to contend with as they trounced the Scott all-stars by the score of 12-0 in a poll play contest.
In the game, Ville Platte scored two runs in the first inning to open up the scoring. But, it was the second inning that put the game away for Ville Platte, as they put up a huge seven runs to take a 9-0 lead. Ville Platte tacked on three more runs in the third inning to close out game.
The offensive showcase continued for Ville Platte in their first bracket game against the all-stars from St. Landry parish. Ville Platte collected 20 hits en route to a 20-1 win over St. Landry. Out of those 20 hits, 10 were of the extra base variety.
Ville Platte jumped out to a 4-0 over St. Landry after one inning of play. St. Landry did manage to scored a run in the second inning to cut the lead down to three.
However, Ville Platte exploded in the bottom of the second for seven runs to expand their lead. Another huge crooked number was posted by Ville Platte in the third and fourth innings, as they plated four and five runs respectively.
Game three saw a small lapse in offensive production for Ville Platte, as they took a 7-0 win over Kaplan. Still, Ville Platte managed six hits, including three doubles in the game.
Against Kaplan, Ville Platte could only manage to score two runs in the first inning. The second inning was a little more productive for the all-stars, as they put up four more runs to take the 6-0 lead. The third inning of this game was the only inning in the entire tournament that Ville Platte was held to only one run.
In the championship game, Ville Platte returned to double digits in runs, as they ran past North Vermilion 14-3. In the game, Ville Platte collected seven hits and all of their runs in only two innings of play.
Ville Platte wasted little time in the final game of the tournament. The young ladies put up their first seven runs in the initial inning. The second inning was more of the same, as Ville Platte matched their seven run outburst in the second frame.
Darbonne, although cognizant of his team’s offensive prowess, stress that his pitching and defense are a vital part of the any success the team may have this all-star season.
“We know that we can play some really good defense,” said Darbonne. “Our players work very hard on their fielding. Also, our pitching is coming along really well. Those two elements of our game will be needed, especially later on in the season.”
Ville Platte is travelling to Rayne this weekend to competed in another warm-up tournament.