By Myra Bean

The 8 and under Batesville Bratz took on all comers without fear and kept the championship at home.

Despite playing five games, many while the sun was at its peak over the weekend, the Bratz were in top form.

The championship game Sunday afternoon was all that a championship game should be.

Coaches were disputing with officials and making sure that players abided by all rules. It was hot and players and fans alike were not sure they could stand much more.

However, the game had to go on.

The Bratz were the home team and had gone ahead 11-10 in the bottom of the fourth. With a game this close, it had to go six innings. Tristan Goddard singled in the fifth, but was picked off after a pop fly on a double play trying to go back to first for the second and third out.

All Batesville had to do was dig deep and hold Hernando scoreless in the sixth and that is what they did.

Though she did not realize it, Mary Grace Dickerson was going to be asked to do a lot that inning as shortstop. She heeded the call.

She caught two fly balls for outs one and three and threw down first baseman Lucy Lipscomb for the assist on the second out. Hernando did have a runner on second in scoring position.

The Bratz held Hernando scoreless the first inning. Batesville got one run across by leadoff batter Goddard.

Hernando took the lead in the second inning, scoring three runs.

With four runs in the second, Batesville retook the lead 5-3 on run by Katilyn Tidwell, Katelynn Atkinson and Dayle Reed, both had doubles; and McCarlie Burchfield.

Two runs by Hernando in the third tied the game at five. However, Batesville answered with three runs in the bottom to pull ahead 8-5. Lucy Lipscomb, Tidwell and Atkinson scored for the Bratz that inning.

Due to some power hitting by Hernando and a couple of defensive errors by Batesville, Hernando scored the maximum number of runs allowed, five, in top of the fourth inning to take a 10-8 lead.

Batesville had its work cut out for them in the fourth. Lead off batter Jaiden Greene singled and was on base for a while as Batesville got two outs. The Bratz rallied as Lipscomb and Tidwell singled to load the bases. Atkinson singled to drive home Greene. Reed singled to drive home Lipscomb and Tidwell for the final runs of the game.

Batesville opened the weekend Friday night with two games against Grenada Xtreme and the Dixie Stixxs.

The Bratz scored early and often and shortened both games by run-ruling the two teams. Batesville defeated Grenada 9-1 and the Dixie Stixxs 8-2, both in five innings.

Against Grenada, the Bratz scored three runs in the first inning. Goddard, Greene and Griffin Rico all singled and later scored. Rico’s single drove home Goddard. Greene scored on a passed ball. Rico scored on Lipscomb’s sacrifice fly to center.

Lipscomb scored the only run in the fourth inning. She doubled to get on base and worked her way home on a passed ball.

It was the fifth inning that capped the game for the Bratz as they put up five runs, the maximum allowed per inning.

Brinley Locke singled and scored on Rico’s RBI single. Goddard singled and scored on a passed ball.

Rico came home on a Lipscomb RBI single. Isabella Morrow singled and scored on Tidwell’s single RBI. Luanna Dent drove home Lipscomb for the fifth and final run of the game.

Grenada’s lone run was scored in the third inning.

Saturday, the Bratz played one game against Southaven winning 11-5 to go undefeated in pool play and earning a berth in the semi-finals.

Against Southaven, Batesville led 9-2 at the end of the fourth inning and needed two runs in the fifth to secure the win.

Dayle Reed slapped a ball to right center to get on base in the fifth. She was followed by Dent.

Ally Alford came to the plate and slapped another ball to the outfield and drove home Reed. Dent scored on a series of errors by Southaven for the final two runs and the win.

The Bratz scored three runs in the first inning by Greene, McCarlie Burchfield and Lipscomb.

In the fourth inning, Batesville scored four runs by Dickerson, Rico, Locke and Greene. Locke and Burchfield scored two runs in the fourth.

The win set up an all-Batesville first round semi-final contest. The Batesville 8 and under Bratz took on the Batesville 7-year-old Blast, who placed second in their pool.

The older Bratz team took care of the younger team 20-9 in four innings, scoring five runs per inning.

This win set up the championship game between Batesville and the Hernando Heat.

The 8 and under Bratz will play in the north state tournament at J. P. Hudson Park next week July 7 through 10.