It took more than nine hours for the Diamond Youth Softball 15U state championship to be decided Sunday in Metairie, but the wait was worth it for the Minden All-Stars.
Minden defeated Jefferson Parish Recreation District East 11-5 in a winner-take-all game for the state championship. Minden will represent Louisiana in the 15U World Series July 15-19 in Laurel, Miss.
The championship team is comprised of Brayleigh Lewis, Ella Wood, Erin Danzy, Lola Huddleston, Loralee Roberts, Kenzie Pamintuan, Mckinley James, Eastyn Paye, Emmaline Harmon and Rhea Waller.
Chase Huddleston and Marcus Harmon are the coaches. Peyton Wood is the bench coach.
Minden went into Sunday undefeated in the tournament needing one victory over JPRD East to take the title. The game started at 10 a.m.
Minden fell behind early. A seventh-inning rally fell just short and Minden lost 6-5, forcing a second game for the title.
Minden got of to a good start and led 3-0 through 2 1/2 innings. But then the waiting started. Heavy rain that resulted in flash flood warnings swept through the New Orleans area. Even though the radar looked ominous, the game was able to resume several hours later.
Minden scored four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 7-0 lead. JPRD East rallied with five in the fifth.
But Minden put four on the board in the fourth to go up 11-5. The game ended just after 7:30 p.m.
According to stats on the team’s GameChanger site, Lewis went 4-for-4 with four RBI in the final victory over JPRD East. Harmon, Waller, Pate, Wood and Huddleston all had one hit.
Harmon, Pate, Huddleston and Roberts all had one RBI.
Starting pitcher Huddleston allowed one hit and struck out four in three innings. Wood pitched the final four innings. She scattered five hits and struck out three.
Pate hit a home run and had a double in Sunday’s first game against JRPD East. Pamintuan and James had two hits each. Lewis and Huddleston had one each.
Wood, Pate, Huddleston, Pamintuan and James all had one RBI.
Wood allowed two hits and struck out two in five innings.