VPGSA 10U all-stars take title; prepare for regional tournament

It was another fantastic tournament for the VPGSA 10 and under all-stars, as they took home the PONY sectional title this past weekend. The tournament, held in Ville Platte, is a pre-cursor to the regional tournament to be held in Crowley starting on Friday.
With the win, the all-stars remain undefeated on the season and pick up the number one overall seed in the regional tournament.
Head coach Shane Darbonne was very pleased with his team’s effort, but knows that the title was definitely not given to his team.
“This was a hard fought weekend,” said Darbonne. “I am very proud of how this team continues to play at a high level and continues to mature in pressure situations. We faced some stiff competition this past weekend and that will continue to be the case here on out.”
Ville Platte started the tournament with bats blazing, as they took down the Voodoo 15-0 in a three inning run-rule win.
Ville Platte opened the game by scoring six runs in the first inning. They continued to put up huge numbers by adding seven runs in the second, leaving little doubt that the local team had come to play.
The all-stars continued the offensive production in game two. Ville Platte once again took only three innings to take a resounding 11-0 win over Opelousas.
Ville Platte’s first inning only produced a single run. However, the next two innings were very fertile, as the all-stars tacked on six runs in the second inning and four more runs in the third inning.
Bracket play opened with Ville Platte facing off against Kaplan. The game was not a contest for the young Ville Platte squad, as they rolled to an 18-1 win.
The game was basically over after the first inning, as Ville Platte batted around twice racking up all 18 runs in that frame.
Ville Platte faced off against arch-rival Rayne in the second bracket game of the tournament. The two teams have faced off against each other several times this all-star season and have developed a friendly rivalry.
Ville Platte came to play in this meeting, as they held Rayne to only one run in a 9-1 victory.
The ladies in red, white and blue were not threatened by Rayne the whole game, jumping out to a 6-1 lead after three innings of play. Ville Platte finished the game with a three to one advantage in the final two innings of play.
The third bracket game turned out to be a barn-burner for the Ville Platte all-stars, as they slipped past Iowa 8-7 to land a spot in the championship game.
Things were not looking good for the all-stars after the first inning, as Iowa held a 2-0 lead. Ville Platte tied things up in the second inning, plating two runs of their own.
Both teams got offensive in the third inning, each scoring three runs. The difference in the game came in the fourth inning as Ville Platte outscored Iowa 2-1 to take a one-run advantage. Each team finished the contest with a run each in the fifth and final inning.
The championship game saw a rematch with Rayne. This time, Ville Platte had to hold off a feisty Rayne team to take a 7-5 win and the tourney title.
Rayne jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning. But, with the championship on the line, the Ville Platte offense responded with six runs in the second inning.
Rayne added single runs in the second, third and sixth innings, but Ville Platte pitching and tremendous defense held Rayne at bay for the remainder of the game.
Darbonne is now hoping to get some rest and recuperation for his team before the regional tournament.
“The heat was a huge factor this weekend,” stated Darbonne. “I gave the girls some time off to get their legs back under them. Pool games do not count for us this coming weekend as far as seeding goes. So, I am hoping to give my starting pitcher and catcher a break during those games. We just need to improve on our consistency this coming weekend and keep pressure on teams and not allow them back in contests.”