The goal of head coach Corey Aldy, assistants Samantha Aldy, Justin Wyatt and Tamala Keifferand the 13-member Jackson Parish 8U Coach Pitch All Star team is to bring home rings designating them as the Little League state champions.
They will already be sporting some “bling” before they even play their first game.
This is after JP8U took second place in the FASA-South Softball Shootout, pre-state, warmup tournament held in Monroe this past Saturday. Playing two games each against Ruston and a pair of Bayou Belle teams from Monroe, the locals shook off the rust of not playing in three weeks to win four of six games played. JP8U won both pool games before advancing to the double elimination portion of the tourney where they won two and lost two.
Jackson Parish 4 Ruston 2: Three runs in the bottom of the third inning by Jackson Parish was the difference in the pool play opener that saw both teams have trouble scoring runs despite combining for 24 hits. Charlee Mauthe, Scarlett Parks, Kate Keiffer, Ryan Kate Wyatt and Brelaina Hall all got hits in the decisive inning assisted by Ryleigh McCormick who reached on an error. JP8U would tack on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Presley Carpenter reached on an error and scored on Mauthe’s second hit of the game. Keiffer got three hits to lead the locals at the plate with B Hall, Mauthe and Parks chipping in with two hits each. Wyatt, Carpenter, Lizzie Sullivan and Ainsley Bougues added a hit each.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
| Ruston | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
| Jackson Parish | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | x | 4 | 13 | 2 |
RS – Keiffer, Carpenter, Mauthe, Parks
RBI – Keiffer, Mauthe
Jackson Parish 12 Bayou Belles 2014 3: Once again JP8U found the offerings of pitching coach Justin Wyatt to their liking, only this time they broke out the “big bats” that led to lots of runs as well. Of the 15 hits tallied, six went for extra bases , with Adeline Anderson leading the way with a double and a triple that accounted for three of the runs. Kate Keiffer also drove in three runs as she and Ryleigh McCormick chipped in with two hits, including each smashing a triple. Hannah Aldy (2B, 2RS, RBI) and Brelaina Hall (RS) went 2/2 and Charlee Mauthe hit a double, scored a run and knocked one in. Ryan Kate Wyatt, Elliot Savage, Lizzie Sullivan and Ainsley Bougues added a hit and scored a run with Presley Carpenter also scoring. JP8U tallied twice in the first frame then added five more in both the second and third innings to blow the game open and win their second straight in pool play.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R | H | E |
| BB2014 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Jackson Parish | 2 | 5 | 5 | x | 12 | 15 | 2 |
2B – Aldy, Anderson, Mauthe
3B – Keiffer, Anderson, McCormick
RBI – Keiffer 3, Anderson 3, Wyatt 2, Aldy, McCormick, Mauthe
RS – Aldy 2, Keiffer, McCormick, Wyatt, Hall, Savage, Anderson, Carpenter, Sullivan, Mauthe, Bougues
Bayou Belles 2013 7 Jackson Parish 3: Nine base runners were left stranded, four more were lost on the base paths and the defense committed six errors as JP8U came up short in the opener of the double elimination portion of the tournament. Twice Jackson Parish left the bases loaded but still trailed only by a 3-2 margin before BB2013 scored four in the top of the fifth to get some breathing room. The loss overshadowed a great day at the plate by Kate Keiffer who hit a pair of triples, scored a run and knocked one in. Charlee Mauthe, Ryan Kate Wyatt, Brelaina Hall and Elliot Savage also got two hits apiece with Hannah Aldy, Lizzie Sullivan and Ainsley Bougues contributing a base hit as well.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | R | H | E |
| BB2013 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 2 |
| Jackson Parish | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 6 |
3B – Keiffer 2
RBI – Keiffer, Aldy, Wyatt
RS – Keiffer, Aldy, Bougues
Jackson Parish 14 Ruston 5: Hannah Aldy smashed a homerun and a triple and Kate Keiffer hit two more triples to give her five “three baggers” in three games. Both added a team tournament best, four RBI to help Jackson Parish score six times in both the first and second innings to roast Ruston for the second time and stay alive in tournament play. Brelaina Hall also hit a home run and knocked in a pair with Lizzie Sullivan and Elliot Savage both hitting doubles to give JP8U seven extra base hits out the 13 overall base knocks. Keiffer, Aldy and Sullivan collected two each with Ryan Kate Wyatt, Hall, Savage, Adeline Anderson, Presley Carpenter, Ryleigh McCormick and Ainsley Bougues chipping in with a hit.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E |
| Ruston | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Jackson Parish | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | x | 14 | 13 | 2 |
2B – Sullivan, Savage,
3B – Keiffer – 2 Aldy
HR – Aldy, Hall
RBI – Keiffer 4, Aldy 4, Hall 2, Mauthe, Anderson, Sullivan
RS – Keiifer 3, Aldy 2, Bougues 2, Mauthe, Wyatt, Hall, Savage, Anderson McCormick, Parks
Jackson Parish 21 Bayou Belles 2014 4: The locals worked their way through the losers bracket to earn a shot at the championship by breaking out for a team tourney best 24 hits and 21 runs. Every player chipped in with at least one hit and all but one scored. Ryan Kate Wyatt was the “big bopper” in this one with a home run and a triple on a 3/3 effort that include four RBI and two runs scored. Brelaina Hall came up big as well with three hits and her second home run in as many games that led to 3 RBI and crossing home twice. Kate Keiffer saw her consecutive game triple streak end at three but she still got two hits, scored twice and drove in four. Hannah Aldy added three runs and three RBI after reach twice on an error and connecting on a “round tripper” and Charlee Mauthe scored three times as well with two hits. Adeline Anderson (2B), and Ainsley Bougues got two hits and scored two runs while Presley Carpenter and Ryleigh McCormick also got a pair of hits, scored and knocked one in. Elliot Savage went 2/3 with 2 RBI, Scarlett Parks crossed home twice with a hit and an RBI single, Lillie Sullivan got a hit and scored a run and Ashlyn Petre hit a double and knocked in a run.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | R | H | E |
| Jackson Parish | 5 | 8 | 8 | 21 | 24 | 5 |
| BB2014 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 4 |
2B – Petre, Anderson
3B – Wyatt
HR – Wyatt, Aldy, Hall
RBI – Keiffer 4, Wyatt 4, Aldy 3, Hall 3, Savage 2, Petre, Carpenter, McCormick, Parks
RS – Aldy 3, Mauthe 3, Keiffer 2, Wyatt 2, Hall 2, Anderson 2, Parks 2, Bougues 2, Carpenter, Sullivan, McCormick
Bayou Belles 2013 15 Jackson Parish 5: Maybe playing the sixth game of the day had something to do with it. Or maybe it was just something about BB2013 that seemed to bring out the worst in Jackson Parish. Regardless of the reason, as in the first game between the two, defensive errors and leaving runners on base played a big role in the loss. Seven times BB2013 reached base via miscues, setting a new mark of futility in the tournament by one which took place the first time the pair tangled. When including 13 hits the combination accounted for 15 runs. That in itself may not have been too big of a hill to climb but the locals, who had to be worn out after playing six games all on the same day, managed to only score five runs despite getting 12 hits. Ryan Kate Wyatt got two hits and scored a run to lead the offense with Kate Keiffer (RS) and Brelaina Hall (3 RBI) slapping doubles to continue their impressive extra base hitting display. Hannah Aldy scored twice and knocked on in with Charlee Mauthe chipping in with a hit and a run. Elliot Savage, Ashlyn Petre, Presley Carpenter, Lillie Sullivan, Ryleigh McCormick and Ainsley Bougues all got hits as well.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | R | H | E |
| Jackson Parish | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 7 |
| BB2013 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 13 | 1 |
2B – Keiffer, Hall
RBI – Hall 3, Aldy, Mauthe
RS – Aldy 2, Keiffer, Mauthe, Wyatt
