Starting strong

The Ville Platte Dixie Youth Pitching Machine and T-Ball all-stars took to the diamond last weekend in their first tournament play of the season with very positive results.
The Pitching Machine all-stars lead by head coach Ross Duos were in Oakdale for the sub-district tournament and came back with an overall record of 6-1 and tied for first place.
Duos was very pleased with the outcome of the tournament and the play of his team.
“We were officially second place because of the tiebreaker rules,” said Duos. “We lost our first game, but the tournament ended in a three-way tie. But, because of the way the tiebreaker went we ended up second place. Still, the kids played really hard this weekend. They are progressing each day. I was very proud of their performance.”
Ville Platte opened the tournament against Vernon American with a 7-6 loss. The all-stars jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the first inning, but could not hold on to that lead, as Vernon outscored Ville Platte 5-2 in the last three innings of play to secure the win.
Ville Platte rallied back from the loss in the next game defeating Oberlin 9-7. The boys in blue went up early in the game taking a 3-1 lead after one inning of play, but scored five runs in the third and a solo run in the fourth to seal the win.
Ville Platte let the bats loose in game three as they blasted their way to a 22-1 win over Oakdale National. The all-stars scored 10 runs in the first, four runs in the second and eight more runs in the third to cruise to victory.
Ville Platte faced a closer contest in game four, sneaking past Oakdale American 10-8. In the game, Ville Platte scored all of their runs in the first two innings and held on, as Oakdale tried to rally, scoring six runs in the final inning.
Game five was another close game, as Ville Platte pushed past Pine Prairie 12-9. The all-stars were down 5-3 after two innings but put up nine runs in the third to rally past their inter-parish rivals.
A ten-run rule win was in order for game six, as Ville Platte strolled past Vernon National 11-0. Ville Platte’s big offensive inning came in the second when they plated seven unanswered runs.
The final game of sub-district play was another powerhouse performance from Ville Platte, as they 15-run ruled Mamou 16-1. The game only lasted three innings of play.
The pitching machine all-stars will next play in district competition on June 23 in Moss Bluff.
The Ville Platte T-Ball all-stars were fortunate enough to be able to host the sub-district tournament at the Evangeline Recreational District complex.
Head coach Nick Fontenot was very excited by his team’s play and their second place finish.
“We are getting better everyday,” said Fontenot. “Our team really played their hearts out for this tournament and we have seen a lot of progress from day one. Hopefully, we will continue to get better as the season progresses.”
Ville Platte began the tournament with a strong performance, as they handed Vernon Central a 20-10 loss in the opening game. Ville Platte did all of its damage in the first two innings plating 14 runs. The all-stars added three runs apiece in the next two innings.
A nail-biter was in store for Ville Platte in game two, as they slipped past Vernon American 22-21. The difference in the game came early on, as Ville Platte out scored Oakdale 7-4 in the first inning. The two teams had identical run totals in the last two innings.
Ville Platte had no trouble in the third game as they came away with a 21-3 win. The all-stars tallied seven runs in all three innings to blow past their opponent.
Another dominating performance followed, as Ville Platte sailed past Oakdale National 21-4. Once again the offense was consistent, plating seven runs in all three innings.
Ville Platte took care of Vernon National in game five as they rolled to a 26-13 win. The all-stars put up seven runs in all but one inning on their way to the victory.
The next opponent for Ville Platte proved to be one run better, as the all-stars suffered their only defeat of the tournament; a 12-11 loss to Oakdale American. A 10-3 deficit after one inning of play spelled the difference in the game.
Ville Platte finished the tournament with a 20-10 win over cross-parish rival Pine Prairie.
The all-stars are playing in a warm-up tournament this weekend in Vidalia, before they host the state tournament beginning on July 7.