Head coach Patrick Staggs and staff hoped that their Jackson Parish 8u All Stars would continue to swing a “big stick” at the Little League “Coach Pitch” State Softball Tournament that won them the District 5 tournament two weeks ago. Fear not! The “dandy dozen” has taken the ballparks in Broussard by storm over the first two games to take 14-2 and 10-2 victories over Avoyelles Parish and Vidalia.
What they have done in the two contests is not just good, it is down right, mind boggling, impressive. The locals have pounded out 42 hits in just 10 innings of play that includes stroking 25 hits in the first five innings of the tourney. Ten of the hits have been for extra bases and ten of the twelve batters are hitting at least .500. There is not a single girl on the roster that hasn’t gotten at least two hits. Perhaps the most impressive stat of all is that as a team there has been only 5 strikeouts in 67 at bats.
Leading the offensive onslaught is Amelia Staggs who is a perfect 6/6 with a triple, 3 RBI and 4 runs scored. Just behind is Hannah Peoples (5 runs, 3B, 2RBI) and Kate Keiffer (3 runs, 2B) who both have gone 5/6 and Sky Watkins (2 runs, 2 RBI, 2B), Faith Burns (3B, RBI, 1 run) and Hannah Aldy (4 runs, 3 RBI, 3B), all getting four hits apiece. Charleigh Newton (2 runs, 2-2B), Molly Henderson (2B, RBI, 1 Run), Raleigh Guilliams (2 RBI) and Ryan Kate Wyatt (2 RBI) are all hitting .500 and both Ella Simonelli (2 RBI, 1 run, 2B) and Kinleigh “Leroy” Leach (4 RBI, 1 run) have two hits each.
Jackson Parish 14 Avoyelles Parish 2: In the opener on Friday the locals broke open a 4-1 game after two innings to score six in the third and four more in the fourth inning to close the game out with a “ten run” rule victory. Jackson Parish pounded out 23 hits to just six for Avoyelles.
Jackson Parish 10 Vidalia 2: Five runs in the first inning was more than enough in the contest where the locals didn’t score as many runs but got just about as many hits. JP garnered 19 hits in the contest that went the full six innings to advance through the winners bracket undefeated after two games. Vidalia was eliminated with the loss.
The locals will now play against the winner of Lake Charles and Shreveport, who Jackson Parish beat in for the district championship, at 7:00 pm on Sunday. With a victory it is on to the finals while a loss would put JP in the elimination bracket and having to win one more to get back into the finals.
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