7/22/2009 6:00:00 PM Philadelphia softball teams dominate state tournaments
By STEVE SWOGETINSKY Sports Editor
Philadelphia's fast-pitch softball teams brought home three state championships and a third place finish this past weekend in the USSSA State Tournament which was held in at Northside Park.
SWAT (Softball With An Attitude) won the eight-year-old state tournament while the Xplosion captured the first place trophy in the 10-and-under division. Meanwhile, the Central Mississippi Cyclones rolled through the 12-and-under division to win its division. Chicks With Sticks played in the 10-and-under division and place third overall.
Eight-and-under
SWAT was one of two teams in the eight-and-under division and it took a pair of games from E-N-Vus.
SWAT won the first game 21-8 and then took the second game 11-7. Abby Sistrunk led the team with seven RBIs and Marsha' Hunt hit a home run.
"We were disappointed that more teams didn't coach," coach Chris Adams said. "But we are proud of these girls. They are all true seven year olds and I felt they would have done well if more teams had been there."
Adams said the team would stick together next year when the girls are all eight year olds.
10-year-olds
Xplosion won four games as it claimed another state championship trophy.
Xplosion started off with a 4-0 win over Hurley.
Meg Martin was the winning pitcher as she threw a one-hitter and struck out five batters. Hailey Williams, Alysia Davis, Taylor Harrison and Martin all were credited with RBIs.
In the second game, Xplosion defeated Diamond Beavers of Petal 17-0.
MacKenzie Johnson was the winning pitcher with a one-hitter and six strikeouts. Davis knocked in five runs while Johnson, Taylor Harrison and Martin were all credited with two RBIs.
Two Philadelphia teams collided in the third game as Xplosion took a 5-3 win over Chicks With Sticks. Martin was the winning pitcher while Hannah Williams hit a double and a two-run homer.
In the championship game, Xplosion defeated the Slapshots 5-2. Johnson was the winning pitcher with four strike outs. The Slapshots led 2-0 after the first but the Xplosion exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third to claim the win.
The Xplosion will enter the Dizzy Dean World Series in Southaven starting Wednesday. They will be one of 17 teams competing with competition coming from Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.
Chicks With Sticks opened the tournament with victories over the Kosciusko Dirt 15-1 and the Kosciusko Comets 12-2. In the first game, Kaylee Routh led the Chicks with three RBIs. She would finish the tournament with five hits in four games.
After losing to the Xplosion, the Chicks With Sticks dropped a hard-fought decision to Slapshots in the elimination game. Jada White hit a home run and Bailey King hit a double to bring in a run. Annika Jones had a great day on the mound as she pitched 12 innings on the day.
"We played good offense and defense all day," coach Shan Winstead said. "I will take this effort any day."
12-year-olds
The Central Mississippi Cyclones lost their first game to the Rebels and battled back through the losers bracket to beat the Rebels two times for the championship.
They also picked up wins over teams from Raleigh and Carthage.
"It takes nine girls playing together," coach Bruce Bounds said. "We lost our first game 4-2 but we didn't give up."
Madison Johnson pitched in five of the Cyclones' six games. Kayla Willis led the team in on-base percentage and Valeria Vance had a key bunt in one of the big games.
Another championship
The Neshoba Elite brought home a Dizzy Dean South State championship from the eight-and-under tournament which was held July 10-13 in Eupora.
The Elite went undefeated with wins over Ackerman 12-1, Houston 13-5, Louisville American 16-0, West Point 12-1 and Houston 12-6.
The Elite will be competing in the Dizzy Dean World Series in Southaven which starts on Thursday in Southaven.
