VP 8U all-stars see season end at state

BY: TRACEY JAGNEAUX
Sports Editor

A tremendous season comes to a close for the Ville Platte machine pitch all-stars. The group youngsters bowedout of the state tournament held in Vidalia last weekend. Ville Platte gave a valiant effort, as they went 4-1 in the tournament.
Because of the format, Ville Platte had to win their pool in order to make it to bracket play.
The all-stars did tie Shreveport in their bracket with identical records, but did not advance because their loss came at the hands of the north Louisiana team.
Ville Platte finishes the all-star season as sub-district champions and placed third in the district tournament.
The all-stars complete their all-star campaign with an overall record of 10-5.
Head Coach Ched Fontenot was very pleased with his team’s play at the state tournament.
“All of the coaches were very pleased with the how our team performed at state,” said Fontenot. “I thought we grew tremendously as a team over the course of the season. Leading up to the state tournament we asked the kids to become a better team to be able to compete and they did that and more.”
Here is a rundown of the games played by the all-stars last weekend.

Ville Platte vs. Pineville
Game one, played on Thursday, pitted Ville Platte against Pineville. The all-stars got out of the gate first and never looked back in a 12-1 win.
Ville Platte took the early 1-0 lead over Pineville after one inning of play. The two teams exchanged runs in the second inning, making the score 2-1 in favor of Ville Platte.
Ville Platte produced three more runs in the third inning and held Pineville scoreless. The Ville Platte offense exploded in the fourth inning, plating seven more runs to close out the game.

Ville Platte vs. Shreveport
Game two had Ville Platte battling the district three champions Shreveport. The all-stars could not overcome late scoring from Shreveport, as they fell 12-7 to the eventual pool champion.
Ville Platte plated four quick runs in the top of the first inning. However, Shreveport matched that run total in the bottom half of the first to tie the game at 4-4.
Both squads were able to score single runs in the second inning to keep the deadlock in place. The third inning saw both teams hold serve, as Ville Platte and Shreveport each plated two runs.
Shreveport held Ville Platte scoreless in the top of the fourth and then proceeded to put five runs across in the bottom of the inning. Ville Platte could not manage any runs in the fifth, as Shreveport secured the win.

Ville Platte vs. Rayville
Coming off of a heartbreaking loss in the previous game, the all-stars did not allow that loss to fester for any length of time. Ville Platte shut down Rayville after the first inning and took the 10-5 win.
Ville Platte got off to a good start scoring four runs in the top of the first. Rayville matched Ville Platte’s offensive output in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 4-4.
Ville Platte scored only one run in the next two innings, but did not allow Rayville to cross the plate in those same two innings. Ville Platte added four runs in the fourth inning and then blanked Rayville in the bottom of the fourth to take the 9-4 lead.
The all-stars added a run in the fifth to pad the lead.

Ville Platte vs. Concordia
The all-stars next game put them up against the host Concordia Parish all-stars. The game was no contest as Ville Platte blasted Concordia 18-0.
Ville Platte took no chances, plating seven runs in the first inning. The boys in blue then continued the offensive onslaught, as they added another four runs in the second inning.
The third and final inning was no different than the first two innings. Ville Platte closed out the game by scoring seven more runs to run-rule the host team.

Ville Platte vs. Haughton
Going into the final pool game, Ville Platte knew it needed a win to stay in contention for bracket play. The all-stars took that to heart as they pulled out an 11-7 win over Haughton.
Ville Platte got on the board first, scoring four runs in the first inning and holding Haughton scoreless. The second inning was a washout for both teams, as neither squad could plate a run.
Haughton outscored Ville Platte in the third inning 4-2 to cut the lead. The fourth inning saw Ville Platte tack on two more runs, taking the 8-4 lead after four complete innings of play.
In the top of the fifth, Haughton cut the lead to one run, 8-7, after plating three runs. Not to be outdone, Ville Platte matched that run output and regained the four run advantage over Haughton.
Ville Platte closed the door on Haughton in the top of the sixth, turning a double play to end the game.