The Minden 11u All-Stars are your state champions.
Sonya Sims/Courtesy Photo
It took four games, an insane amount of runs scored and some fabulous pitching performances to get the job done, but Minden made the most of their opportunities, and for that, the 11u team will be World Series Bound.
Here’s how the Minden 11u All-Stars got the job done.
Minden 11u 15
Winnsboro 0
Minden pounded Winnsboro in their opening game of the tournament, led by Jake Wilkins who doubled, singled and drove in two runs. Brandon Winston also had a two-hit night, finishing with a pair of singles and one RBI.
Dexter Smith had a triple that scored three runs for Minden, Dayton Sims had a double and one RBI, followed by Bradley Dick with a single and two RBI’s. CJ Watts and Cooper Chase added RBI’s of their own and Hayden Harmon came through with a single to round out the offensive attack.
Dexter Smith tossed two innings on the mound for Minden 11u, striking out five batters and allowing no hits and only one walk in the process. Cooper Chase tossed one inning and got the win, striking out two batters.
Minden 11u 3
Franklin Parish 1
Minden had to rely on their pitching and defense to get them by in their second game of the tournament, as the bats weren’t quite as hot as the 11u team has grown accustomed.
For the game, Minden could only scratch across five hits, but they made them count.
Brandon Winston tripled to lead the offense, also driving in one run for his night. Maddox Mandino crushed a double for Minden, followed by Price Miller, CJ Watts and Dayton Sims with base hits. Hayden Harmon came through with an RBI for Minden.
The star of the game was Mandino, who pitched a fantastic ball game for Minden. Mandino fired six innings on the bump, striking out 13 batters, allowing only two hits, walking three and giving up one unearned run.
Cooper Chase came in to pitch one inning and finish things off.
Minden 11u 15
Gonzalez 0
In their semi-final win over the Gonzalez All-Stars, Minden was back on the offensive, cranking out 15 runs on nine hits for the ball game.
Cooper Chase had a strong night at the plate for Minden, as he came through with a triple and a single to accompany his one RBI. CJ Watts came through big-time with a double and two singles. The slugger finished his night with 3 RBI’s as well.
Jake Wilkins had two hits, a double and single, good for 2 RBI’s againt Gonzalez, followed by Hayden Harmon with an RBI double for his night. Price Miller added an RBI single, Bradley Dick had an RBI, Maddox Mandino had a single and three runs scored and Cade Boley rounded out the hitting with a base hit for Minden.
Minden got good pitching in the game from Cooper Chase and Brandon Winston. Chase pitched two innings and struck out two batters, followed by Winston who struck out three batters in one inning of work.
Minden 11u 15
Monroe 1
In the championship game, Minden trounced Monroe, racking up 13 hits and limiting their opponents to only one run.
CJ Watts tripled, doubled and singled on the night to go with 3 RBI’s, followed by Maddox Mandino with a pair of singles and 3 RBI’s. Jake Wilkins had a pair of singles and 2 RBI’s, followed by Brandon Winston with a three-hit night. Winston finished with three singles and one RBI. Cade Boley, Cooper Chase and Dayton Sims all added singles for Minden.
CJ Watts fired three innings and struck out three batters to get the win on the mound for Minden in the title game. Dexter Smith fired two innings in relief, striking out two batters.
World Series Bound
The Minden 11u All-Stars are bound for the 11u World Series now that they’ve captured the state championship. This year’s World Series will be played in Searcy, Arkansas, with opening ceremonies slated for July 21.