The Jackson Parish 10U Little League All-Stars won their first two games of the District 5 tournament being played at the Jackson Parish Recreation Department Sports Complex to earn a spot in the finals to be played at 1:30 pm on Sunday, June 22nd. JP10U secured their championship bracket finals appearance by knocking off Sterlington 10-6 on Friday and then beating Bossier 11-8 on Saturday. 

JP10U 10 Sterlington 6 – It could have been called the “rubber game” after Sterlington beat Jackson Parish twice two weeks ago, and JP10U came back to beat Sterlington twice last weekend in pre-district tournament play.

When it counted the most, give the nod to Jackson Parish. The locals came out swinging in the first two innings to pound out 11 hits, including 7 that went for extra bases to take a 9-4 lead that held up in the six inning affair. 

After Sterlington opened the contest by scoring two runs, JP10U wasted no time in reversing the deficit as Natalie Sullivan tripled on the first pitch she saw before scoring on the next offering, which was a wild pitch. Kylee-Ayn Allen and Cadie Conn then reached on a walk and a single, respectively, setting up a smash to left field by Marlee Bates that cleared the bases on an inside-the-park home run. With JP10U now holding a 4-2 lead, Charley Linton and Autumn Kohler then kept the big bats booming with a double and triple to plate the final run of the frame. 

After Sterlington narrowed the lead to 5-4, JP10U continued to play “big bat” in the second when Aubrie Allen tripled and Sullivan doubled. Kylee-Ayn Allen followed with a single that set up three consecutive two-out hits, starting with a Bates double and culminating in singles by Miriam Shuler and Linton. Jackson Parish would add a final run in the bottom of the fourth when Landrie Watson led off with a single and scored on Conn’s second hit of the contest. 

Sullivan, Conn, Bates and Linton all collected two hits apiece, with Kylee-Ayn and Aubrie Allen, Shuler, Kohler, Delilah Hudson, Ryleigh Puffer, and Watson all getting a hit each. 

Jackson Parish 11 Bossier 8 – Three runs in the second and four more in the third inning broke open a 3-3 tie that lifted Jackson Parish to the championship game of the District 5 tourney. The contest looked to have the makings of a slugfest early as Bossier scored three in the top of the first and JP10U came back to tie in their at bat as Natalie Sullivan, Kylee-Ayn Allen, and Marlee Bates all scored.

Then Miriam Shuler caught fire to strike allow just two runs over the next four innings, including striking out the side in three of the frames. That allowed JP10U to put the game out of reach as Deliliah Hudson and Ella Siddon drew walks and Ryleigh Puffer singled, and Landrie Watson doubled to score three in the second, followed by Jackson Parish plating four more in the third to go up 10-5. Kylle-Ayn Allen got the fireworks started in the big frame with a single followed by a Cadie Conn triple, a single by Charley Linton, and free passes to Autumn Kohler and Hudson. Jackson Parish scored their final run of the evening when Linton circled the bases with a home run.