Evangeline PONY All-Stars end season at sectionals

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

There are many ways to measure the success of a season besides wins.
For the Evangeline PONY all-stars, the success of the post-season is measured in experience and this group of 13-year-old young men came together to form a unique mix of players from Mamou and Ville Platte. Even though this eclectic bunch from Evangeline Parish were not together for a long period of time, the experience and camaraderie will last a lifetime.
“We put this team together about three weeks before the season kicked off,” said head coach Dale Serie. “But you could see, even though we were from two different towns, that the players began to bond and form a true team spirit as the season progressed. It was a great thing to see.”
The all-stars traveled to Houston, Texas recently to participate in the PONY Sectional Tournament, after taking home the Regional Tournament title.
Team Evangeline did not gain a win in at the Sectional Tournament, going 0-2. However, according to Serie, the team played extremely well and most importantly gained a ton of experience in the process.
“This was a way for these young players to see baseball outside of Louisiana,” stated Serie. “We played against the best teams from Texas and it gave the players a chance to see what it is like to play against some really good team. The experience gained was incredible. We battled with those other teams and showed that Louisiana can play baseball too.”
Game one for the Evangeline all-stars put them up against the eventual tournament champions, San Juan. The Evangeline all-stars were no match for San Juan, as they fell 16-5.
San Juan jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first two innings. Team Evangline mounted a small comeback scoring five runs in the third inning. But it was not enough as San Juan outscored Evangeline 11-0 the rest of the way.
Game two turned out to be a pitcher’s duel for the first half of the game. Team Evangeline tried to mount a comeback, but fell short in a 6-3 loss to the Kyle Chapman Titans.
Kyle Chapman got on the board first plating two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Evangeline cut the lead, scoring two runs in the top of the fifth, but the Titans responded with three more in the bottom of the fifth.
Evangeline plated a run in the  top of the sixth, but it was too little, too late.