7/1/2009 6:00:00 PM Xplosion, Elite softball teams bring home tourney titles
By STEVE SWOGETINSKY Sports Editor
Two youth all-star softball teams are coming off a busy weekend as both brought home tournament championship trophies.
The 10-and-under Xplosion won the 2009 Dizzy Dean Warmup Tournament that was held in Eupora by sweeping up five victories.
Meanwhile, the Neshoba Elite 8-and-under Neshoba Elite claimed gold for the second weekend in a row as they won a tournament in Ackerman on Sunday evening.
Last weekend, the Neshoba Elite captured first place in the the State Games of Mississippi.
Here are reports on both teams.
Xplosion
Talk about a late night.
There were some sleepy folks Sunday morning as the Xplosion captured the tournament championship in Eupora with the final game being started at 11:50 p.m.
"It was a one day tournament and we didn't get home until 3 a.m.," coach Craig Martin said. "But we made it to church. Everyone was a little tired. We hit the ball well. It was a long day but it was a gopd day overall."
The Xplosion started the tournament as the No. 1 seed. They won the first game 12-1. Meg Martin was winning pitcher with seven strikeouts and a no-hitter.
The Xplosion then knocked off Carrolton 11-4. Hannah Hall was the winning pitcher and had three strikeouts. Sadie Kate Marshall pitched the last inning.
In a rematch, the Xplosion dispatched of Carrolton with a 10-4 win. Meg Martin was the winning pitcher and recorded seven strike outs.
The Xplosion won the championship game with a 9-7 win over Ackerman. The game started at 11:50 p.m.
Meg Martin was the winning pitcher with 10 strikeouts. The Xplosion will be in Meridian Fourth of July weekend to play in the USSSA championship tournament.
Neshoba Elite
The Neshoba Elite won the Dizzy Dean All-Star Bash this past weekend in Batesville with five victories and no defeats.
The Elite took the first game with a15-0 win over the Hernando Nitro. Aspen Wesley hit one of her three out-of-the-park home runs.
Other victories went as follows. The Elite won the second game over the Grenada Pink Sox 12-6. In game three, the Elite beat the Southaven Storm 9-3 and then beat Senatobia 9-1 in game four.
In the championship game, the Elite beat the Southaven Storm 7-4 to take first place in the tournament.
Members of the team are Rivers Gray, Mara Shelton, McKenzie Barnett, Aspen Wesley, Clair Winstead, Casea Cheatham, Madalyn Thompson, Molly Davis, LaChrisha Williams, Kaylee Brown, Alex Bowen and Taelor Sockey.
The previous week in State Games of Mississippi action, the Elite took four victories to earn the Gold medal in their division.
They beat the Shutter Bugs of Meridian 15-0 in the first game and came back to stop the Gulf Coast Hurricane 15-5 in game two.
They then took two games from the Ponytail Bandits, winning 11-10 and 17-4 in the gold metal game.
The Elite will play in the All-Star Bash this weekend in Kosciusko. They will then compete in the Dizzy Dean South Half State which will be held in Eupora on July 9-12; and the Dizzy Dean World Series will be held July 22-26 in Southaven.
