The Columbia 8u softball team added another gem to its trophy case Sunday, claiming the USSSA Southern Nationals title in Picayune in dramatic fashion.
The all-stars reached the championship round with one loss and faced the undefeated West Mobile all-stars, which meant they needed to win twice. They won the first game 9-8 and forced a sudden death-style showdown.
In USSSA, a championship with two teams with one loss becomes what is considered a two-inning shootout. After the first two innings, the shootout was tied. Then in the next shootout, Columbia remained tied with West Mobile. In the third shootout, Columbia edged West Mobile by two runs, 13-11, and ended up playing the equivalent of a six-inning game.
“Our girls refused to quit and came fighting back. It was a very exciting tournament. I would have to say the championship game was one of the best I’ve ever seen in 8u softball,” head coach Ryan Freeman said. “Both teams played extremely well, and it was just an emotional roller coaster.”
Freeman said the all-stars didn’t go in expecting to win but knew they had a shot at it.
“It was pretty neat to be a part of,” he said. “This is a really good group of girls, and I expect to see good things out of them in the future. These girls can really play ball. They’re a joy to coach and a superb group of athletes.”
Columbia 8u dominated pool play Saturday with a 14-1 win over the Franklinton Fury (La.) and a 13-3 victory over the SBBA Lil’ Savages (La.). The all-stars kicked off bracket play with a 15-1 thrashing of Wayne County before falling 8-2 to West Mobile to drop into the losers’ bracket.
They worked their way out of the losers’ bracket to reach the championship against West Mobile with wins over the Lil’ Savages (1-0), Fury (18-0) and Semmes All-Stars (Ala.) (1-0).
“We knew we had to fight for it, but West Mobile had a really good team also,” Freeman said. “We kind of came out a little flat the first time we met them in the tournament, lost to them and went into the losers’ bracket. We fought our way back and beat them twice in the championship.”
One of Columbia 8u’s stars left with a little extra hardware as Zia Buckley was named Offensive Player of the Tournament.
Pictured Above: Columbia 8u includes, not in order, Ava Baughman, Griffyn Harmon, Rylee Freeman, Maycee McKenzie, Zia Buckley, Kloe Stringer, Morgan McKenzie, Marley Smith, Ainsley Armstrong, Harley Ramshur, Laleigh Duncan and Addison Walters and coaches Jason McKenzie, Todd Harmon, Kelli Harmon and Ryan Freeman.
