A duo of district titles

VILLE PLATTE -- Not having played in a meaningful game yet this all-star season, the Ville Platte Major All-Stars really did not know what to expect out of their team and their reactions to game situations as they hosted the Dixie Youth District Tournament.
Turns out, all of that nervous anticipation was for nothing as they blew through the tournament field on their way to an undefeated district title.
In the tournament, Ville Platte outscored all opponents 58-3 and yielded only 12 hits in the five games played.
After the championship game, Ville Platte head coach Josh Deshotels talked about the dominance of his club throughout the tourney.
“Great stuff,” said Deshotels. “Our team performed outstanding, only giving up three runs the entire tournament. We got a good test against Mamou tonight (in the championship game). Our boys hung in and stayed steady, I am very proud of the way they played all weekend. Now we get to move on.”
Ville Platte began the tournament with a blowout 16-0 win over Westlake. That contest only took four innings and Ville Platte totally dominated from the start, holding Westlake to only one run.
Game two saw much of the same. Ville Platte’s offense did not show any hiccups at all, as the Majors out hit Vernon National 7-2 in an 11-1 run away win.
Game three against Mamou proved to be a closer contest than expected, as Ville Platte managed only six hits in a 6-1 victory. Mamou threatened in the fifth inning, putting runners at first and second with no outs, but Ville Platte pitching shut down Mamou by striking out the last two batters of the inning.
A run-rule five inning contest followed, as the Ville Platte offense got back on track in a 13-3 win over cross-parish foe Pine Prairie. The Majors put up six in the first, three in the second and four in the fourth to run away win.
The championship game on Monday saw a re-match with intra-parish rival Mamou. This time, Mamou gave Ville Platte a little something to think about as they pushed the Majors early on. However, Ville Platte gathered themselves and finished out the tournament with a 12-2 win in six innings.
“One through 12 we put the ball in play,” commented Deshotels. “I just hope that we can continue to score runs. It is going to be a lot of fun in Regionals.”
Ville Platte will travel to Ruston to participate in the Regional Tournament on July 14-19.