'They fight': Berwick 10U girls aren't kidding around about World Series

BERWICK — It’s Thursday, and intermittent rain is falling on the Berwick Civic Complex softball diamond.
The drizzle makes mud near home plate, where Berwick’s 10-and-under All-Stars are learning to defend against passed balls. A couple of the catchers snake their arms out to grab pitches that are supposed to roll to the backstop so pitchers can practice covering home. But the catchers seem unable to resist the need to catch them.
Just up the first-base line, pitcher Shelby Taylor is throwing fastballs with a kick, a windmill motion and a glare that would do the toughest big league pitcher proud.
“I’ve been knowing these girls for years,” said head coach Shari Osburn during a break. “When they were on different teams, even in rec league, I knew that when they came together, we’d have a special group of girls.”
These girls, chosen for Berwick’s 10U traveling team, have made a special postseason for themselves. They’ve won the Louisiana 10U Babe Ruth state and Southwest Regional titles, and they’re headed for the 10U World Series beginning July 27 in Jensen Beach, Florida.
The prospect of traveling to a big tournament in Florida and staying in a hotel has caught the attention of the girls, Osburn said.
“They’re super-excited,” Osburn said.
But at practice, the excitement isn’t evident. Nor do the players complain about the light rain, or talk when they’re supposed to pay attention.
“The girls are intense,” Osburn said. “The coaches are pretty intense. The parents are intense most of the time.”
Parents who have raised or are raising 10-year-olds may wonder how the coaches keep the players focused.
“That part is not a challenge at all,” Osburn said. “They fight.”
The Berwick girls won easy victories in three of their four regional games. But in the other, their second, they had to show some of that fight. A passed ball was an important part of that story, too.
The game went eight innings and 3 hours, 15 minutes. In the top of the eighth, opponent Andalusia, Alabama, scored three times to take a 6-3 lead.
But Berwick came back in the bottom half to load the bases for Anna Gros. Her hit and a couple of Andalusia errors cleared the bases and put her on third.
Then she scored on a passed ball to give Berwick the 7-6 win.
Here’s a recap of the regional games:

Berwick 16, Muleshoe, Texas, 1
Muleshoe, according to Wikipedia, is home to what is, at more than 22 feet, the world’s longest mule shoe. But Berwick had the biggest kick.
Gros went 3-for-3 with a homer; Anne-Marie Beadle (another homer), Emily Osburn, and Aubrey Harris went 2-for-3; Victoria Gonzales was 1-for-2; and Audrey Lodrigue was 1-for-3.
Shelby Taylor struck out eight and walked none.

Berwick 7, Andalusia, Alabama, 6, eight innings
Madisson Gibson was 2-for-3; and Aubrey Harris and Anna Gros were 2-for-4.
Shelby Taylor struck out 14 before reaching her nine-inning limit for consecutive games. Audrey Lodrigue and Anna Gros pitched the last two innings.

Berwick 10, Jefferson Parish Recreation District East 4
Audrey Lodrigue was 2-for-2; Anna Gros and Jaselynn Haven were 1-for-1; Madisson Gibson, Emily Osburn, and Aubrey Harris were 1-for-2; and Shelby Taylor was 1-for-3 while throwing three strikeouts.

Berwick 6, Andalusia, Alabama 1
Anna Gros was 3-for-3, Madisson Gibson was 2-for-2; and Anne-Marie Beadle and Aubrey Harris were 1-for-2. Shelby Taylor was 2-for-2 at the plate and struck out five.

Roster
Anna Gros, Ava Landry, Aubrey Harris, Addison Liner, Aliyah Fagan, Emily Osburn, Shelby Taylor, Anne-Marie Beadle, Brooklyn Comeaux, Jaselynn Haven, Bryleigh Comeaux, Maddisson Gibson, Victoria Gonzales and Audrey Lodrigue. Coaches: Duane Lodrigue, Shari Osburn, Michelle Taylor and Ryan Taylor.