Patterson 12s punch second straight ticket to Babe Ruth Softball World Series

Harris DeHart has served as the Patterson 12U Softball All-Star head coach for the past two seasons, and in that time, he’s never seen anything like he saw in Saturday’s Babe Ruth 12U Southwest Region Tournament Championship in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
His squad fell behind 10-2 after two innings against powerhouse Jefferson Parish Recreation Department — East only to slowly climb out of the hole and eventually win the game 16-13 in nine innings.
With the win, Patterson, which finished the tournament undefeated at 4-0, will advance to its second straight Babe Ruth Softball World Series in Jensen Beach and its third overall in the last three years. Many members of this year’s squad advanced two years ago as a 10U squad.
In Saturday’s championship game, the teams combined for 31 hits, and each teams’ pitchers threw a combined 189 pitches.
There were eight doubles (six by Jefferson Parish), and Jefferson Parish had two triples.
Laila Dugar, who started the game before being replaced by Emily Lipari, came back late in the game to earn the win. In five total innings, she surrendered eight runs (six earned) on eight hits with two walks, two hit batters and four strikeouts.
Lipari pitched four innings of relief and surrendered five runs (five earned) on eight hits with four walks and two strikeouts.
Patterson took a 2-1 lead after an inning before Jefferson Parish exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the second inning for a 10-2 lead.
Undaunted, Patterson slowly rallied, scoring three runs in the third, two in the fourth and five in the fifth for a 12-10 lead.
Patterson tied the game at 10 when Hannah Domingue scored on a passed ball and took the lead when another run came home on a Jefferson Parish error.
Jefferson Parish Recreation Department tied the game at 12 in the bottom of the fifth when a run scored on the second of back-to-back doubles.
Patterson retook the lead at 13-12 in the top of the seventh when Amaya Williams drove in Bryleigh DeHart on a single, and Jefferson Parish tied the game at 13 in the bottom of the inning with a run-scoring triple.
Williams gave Patterson the lead for good in the top of the ninth when she scored on a passed ball.
Patterson scored two more runs via a Riley Chaisson groundout and Domingue’s single to right field.
Jefferson Parish got a batter on with one out in the bottom of the ninth via a hit batter before Patterson’s defense recorded consecutive outs to end the game.
Williams led Patterson with a 3-for-4 performance with a double, two RBIs, a stolen base and three runs. Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Domingue, 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs; Dugar, 2-for-5, a double and three RBIs; Kamille Lightfoot, 2-for-3, an RBI, a stolen base and two runs; Lipari, 2-for-4, an RBI, a stolen base and three runs; Charlotte Callais, 2-for-5, an RBI and two runs; Chaisson, 1-for-6, an RBI; and Maddi St. Blanc, an RBI and a run.
Earlier Saturday advanced to the finals after defeating Patterson ousting Jefferson Parish Recreation Department — East from the winner’s bracket with a 3-1 victory.
Patterson scored two runs in the top of the third, while Jefferson Parish Recreation Department scored a run in the bottom of the third.
Patterson scored another run in the top of the sixth.
Dugar earned the win. In three innings, she surrendered one unearned run on one hit with three walks and two strikeouts.
Offensively, Chaisson led Patterson with a 1-for-3 performance with a double and an RBI. Other top Patterson offensive contributors were DeHart, 1-for-2; Lightfoot, 1-for-3, a run; and Lipari and Williams, an RBI each.
Friday, Patterson defeated the Harrison, Arkansas, Diamond Divas 7-2 in seven innings.
While the game entered extra innings tied at 2, Patterson exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh, reeling off four straight singles for the win.
Patterson broke the tie via Lightfoot’s RBI-single to left field before DeHart followed with a triple with the bases loaded to give Patterson a 6-2 advantage.
DeHart scored the game’s final run via an error.
Chaisson earned the win in relief of Dugar. In one inning, Chaisson surrendered one hit and fanned two.
Dugar pitched the game’s first six innings and surrendered two runs (one earned) on five hits with five walks, one hit batter and three strikeouts.
Early on, Harrison took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but Patterson tied the game in the top of the third and took a 2-1 advantage in the top of the fifth.
Harrison tied the game at 2 in the bottom of the sixth on a groundout
Offensively, Domingue led Patterson with a 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, an RBI and two runs. Other top Patterson offensive contributors were DeHart, 1-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and a run; Lightfoot, 2-for-3, two RBIs, a stolen base and a run; St. Blanc, 1-for-2, a stolen base and two runs; Chaisson, 1-for-3, a run; and Williams, 1-for-4, a stolen base.