By Will Dickins
The Batesville Crush, consisting of seven and eight year olds, won their respective tournament in the 2016 Batesville Bash Tournament this weekend.  They won five games without losing a single game.  
“Crush, Crush, What’s it going to be? Defense, Defense, 1,2,3.”  The Crush backed up their chant with a superior defense to go along with a crushing offense.  One could say defense wins championships.  
Batesville had two pool games to determine their seeding for the elimination round. They won 12-1 and 15-3 to put them into the number two seeded position. In the first game, Anna Dover had three singles,  and Sadie Bright had two doubles to lead the Crush offense.  Cadie Coker also added an energizing one RBI triple in the fourth inning.  The second game was similar to the first.  This time Chaney Beth Hanneford (two hits), Haley Heafner (two hits), Grady Wilson (three hits), and Kaley Ward (three hits) led the charge in hits.  
 This set up a matchup with the Delta Thunder.  The Crush had beaten them 15-3 earlier that day. Every player had at least one hit en route to another 15-3 beating.   K. Ward and Gabriella Russo both had three hits each. Makenzie Houston had two hits.  
Parents lined the fences with #Crushinit on the back of their T-shirts.  Batesville started off the last day with a game against Senatobia, and they continued #Crushinit.  
After a shaky start in the field, the Crush calmed down and cruised to yet another victory with a hefty margin between scores.  This time it was 15-1.  
K. Ward and Russo continued their hitting streak with another three hit game. Lindy Ward and Jenna Grace Burnett were close behind with two hits in their two at bats.  
It was time for the Crush to face off with the number one seeded Greenwood Explosion. Both teams scored a combined 71 points before Sunday.  
They also gave up only nine runs.  It appeared to be the perfect matchup with each team prepared to exchange punches.  
That is what it was assumed until the game started. The Crush stunned the Explosion 13-2.  Russo, Wilson, L. Ward, Sadie Bright, and Houston continued their offensive hot streaks.  
The Crush scored four in the first, three in the second, one in the third, and five in the fourth.  Defense wins championships.
Batesville flashed the leather at every postion of the field to keep the Explosion down to only two casualties (runs).  
Outfielders were throwing runners out at second base, double plays attempted, and the balls that were hit well were corralled in time to keep the runners at first.
The Explosion were held to only one extra base hit compared to the Crush’s eight.  
That includes a home run blast from Houston to cap it off and end the game.  Emotions were high, funky antlers were waving at second base, and the Crush waltzed into a first place finish with ease.  The final score was 13-2.