Dixie Youth T-ball all-stars show grit at Mamou tourney

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

The Ville Platte T-ball all-star team battled tough competition as well as the weather in the sub-district tournament held at the Mamou Sports Complex this past weekend.
Despite having to return on Monday to complete a game suspended from the day before, the all-stars showed their mental toughness. Ville Platte went 2-2 in the tournament and will now move on to the district tournament to be held in Leesville beginning on June 25.
“The kids really did a great job this weekend,” stated head coach Sara Ardoin. “We faced some of the toughest teams around the area. It is good to face tough competition, because it gives us an opportunity to see what we are really capable of.”
The tough weather conditions may have played a role in the all-stars not advancing farther in the tournament.
“We are not going to use the weather as an excuse,” said Ardoin. “However, we had the momentum in the last game on Sunday. Unfortunately, we could not finish and had to come back to complete the game on Monday. It is tough to have to split a game, especially on some young kids. Still the kids played with a lot of Ville Platte spirit throughout the tournament.”
Here is a rundown of the games played this past weekend by the all-stars.

Ville Platte vs. Pine Prairie
Game one pitted Ville Platte against inter-parish foe Pine Prairie. Ville Platte rallied late in the game to overtake Pine Prairie and pull out the 23-19 win.
Pine Prairie took an early 7-6 lead at the end of the first inning. After Pine Prairie scored four runs in the top of the second, Ville Platte tied the game with five runs of their own in the bottom of the second.
Ville Platte out-dueled Pine Prairie 12-8 in the last three innings to take the win.

Ville Platte vs. Oakdale
The second game of the tournament was a barn burner, as Ville Platte had to rally from a 10-4 deficit to take the 19-18 win.
Ville Platte found themselves in an early hole after two innings of play. Oakdale put up five runs in the first and second innings, while allowing only a four run first for Ville Platte.
The Evangeline Parish all-stars scored 12 runs in the next two innings, and held Oakdale to only four runs in that time to take the 16-14 lead.
Oakdale put up four runs in the fifth to retake the lead. However, the Ville Platte all-stars showed their grit as they pushed three runs across in the bottom half of the inning to seal the win.

Ville Platte vs. Vernon
Ville Platte let one slip past them in the game three. Vernon Parish scored seven runs in the top of the fifth to pull out the 23-21 win over Ville Platte.
Ville Platte held a 8-4 lead after two innings and a 21-16 lead after four innings. However, Vernon took over in the last frame, scoring seven and blanking Ville Platte to seal the win.

Ville Platte vs. Oakdale
A re-match with Oakdale did not fall Ville Platte’s way. Oakdale plated seven runs in two different innings to defeat Ville Platte 16-11.
The Ville Platte offense could only muster one run in the first two innings. Oakdale plated all but two of their runs in the first and fourth innings. Ville Platte had a chance late in the game, but could not put enough runs across to overcome the Oakdale lead.