Patterson 12U All-Stars win Babe Ruth State Softball title

The Patterson 12U Softball All-Stars won the Babe Ruth State Title Saturday, defeating Jefferson Parish Recreation Department-East 8-4.
While Patterson built an 8-0 lead after the top of the fifth, Jefferson Parish responded with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to cut its deficit to 8-4.
Patterson allowed no runs in the final inning for the win.
“We were very happy. … When you look at the group of girls we got and the group of girls we had last year, we had a really strong group last year, so some people were thinking we’re not as strong as we were last year,” Patterson head coach Harris DeHart said of last year's state runner-up and world series champions.
However, the Patterson coach said that’s not the case.
“We actually hit the ball better for state than we did last year,” he said. “Last year, our bats didn’t get hot until regionals, and this year, we got hot in state, so hopefully we can carry (those) hot bats on to regional this year with us.”
The game was a matchup of two leagues who played for the Babe Ruth World Series 12U title a year ago, which Patterson won.
The two teams met a year ago at the state tournament, which Jefferson Parish won before Patterson won the Southwest Region Tournament.
“The thing about JPRD-East, you can’t ever count them out,” DeHart said. “The (JPRD) East and the (JPRD) West, they’re pulling from a lot of kids, so they have a lot of good athletes. It’s just like us. You can’t ever count us out. You get up there and have a good inning, and you might score four, five, six, 10 runs. I’m not comfortable with an eight-run lead against JPRD.”
Patterson now advances to the Southwest Region Tournament in Mountain Home, Arkansas, which will be held July 4-8.
In Saturday’s championship, Patterson scored all of its runs in two innings, plating four in the second and four more in the fifth.
Laila Dugar earned the win.
Offensively, Emily Lipari and Ella Hover led Patterson. Lipari was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, while Hover was 2-for-3 with a home run, an
RBI and a run.
Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Dugar, 2-for-3; Rylie Chaisson, 1-for-2, a double, two RBIs, a stolen base and two runs; and Kamille
Lightfoot, 1-for-4, an RBI.
Patterson finished perfect in bracket play, topping Iberville 13-0 and Jefferson Parish Recreation Department-West 5-4, both Thursday, and Pierre Part 16-5 Friday to advance to the finals.
Against Pierre Part, Patterson outhit its opponents 18-9.
Amaya Williams and Lightfoot led the Patterson offense. Williams finished 3-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs, while Lightfoot was 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.
Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Bryleigh DeHart and Charlotte Callais, each 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and two
runs; Hover, 2-for-4, a double, an RBI and a run; Dugar, 2-for-2, two RBIs; and Lipari, 2-for-4, two RBIs and two runs.
Dugar earned the win.
Against Jefferson Parish Recreation Department West, Patterson won in walk-off fashion via Ella Hover’s home run in the bottom of the sixth inning
for a 5-4 victory.
Patterson outhit Jefferson Parish, 7-3.
Hover led Patterson with a 2-for-3 performance with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs.
Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Lipari, 2-for-3 with a run; DeHart, 1-for-2, an RBI; Callais, 1-for-2, two stolen bases and a run; and
Lightfoot, 1-for-3.
Dugar earned the win.
Against Iberville, Patterson outhit its opponents 8-3, while Iberville had two errors.
Hover led Patterson with a 3-for-3 performance with a home run, four RBIs and two runs.
Other top Patterson offensive contributors were Lipari, 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI, three stolen bases and two runs; Chaisson, 2-for-2, an RBI
and a run; Maddi St. Blanc, 1-for-2, two RBIs, a stolen base and a run; and Callais, an RBI and a stolen base.
Chaisson earned the win.
Patterson 8U All-Stars
finish 3-2
The Patterson 8U All-Stars finished 3-2 for a third-place finish at the Babe Ruth 8U State Tournament in Luling falling in an elimination game Saturday morning to Pierre Part.
Patterson fell 9-8 in the elimination game, while Pierre Part fell to St. Charles in the state finals.
The local squad’s solid finish came after battling through the loser’s bracket, winning three straight games Friday after dropping its tournament
opener Thursday.
“Our bats came alive (and) kept us in the tournament, and (we) just kind of lost a little momentum on the Saturday morning playing Pierre Part,”
Patterson head coach Jeremy Whipple said. “The girls were still in the game. They never gave up. Just the other team made some great defensive plays and kept them in the ball game. (It) kind of slowed our offense down a little bit.”
After falling 10-6 to Kenner Thursday, Patterson bounced back with three wins Friday, defeating Iberville 22-4, Terrebonne 11-1 and Harahan 11-4.
Patterson 10U All-Stars finish third
The Patterson 10U All-Stars finished third at the Babe Ruth State Tournament Saturday, falling to eventual runner-up Jefferson Parish Recreation Department—West in an elimination game Saturday morning.
Patterson won three straight games after dropping its tournament opener to Pierre Part Thursday.
Patterson defeated Kenner, Terrebonne and Pierre Part Friday before falling Saturday morning.
Jefferson Parish finished runner-up to St. Charles.