By By Rocky Higginbotham/The Meridian Star
June 16, 2001
The youth softball competition of the State Games of Mississippi has always provided organizers and participants with some of the Games' most memorable moments; and this year's events should be no different.
State Games officials released the schedules for the youth softball earlier this week, and a grand total of 41 teams in five age groups will converge on Meridian in hopes of taking home a medal.
The 8-under, 10-under and 16-under age groups will play at Northeast Park, while the 12-under and 14-under divisions will go at the Sammie Davidson Complex.
Here's a brief rundown of each bracket:
8-under: Action begins in this five-team, round-robin event at 9 a.m. with a battle between Orange Grove and the Lady Bruisers.
Action continues at 10:15 a.m., when North Meridian Optimist takes on St. Martin; and at 11:30 a.m., West Lauderdale gets its first action against the Lady Bruisers.
Each team will play four games on Field No. 4 at Northeast Park, with the final contest set to begin at 8:15 p.m.
10-under: This eight-team, double-elimination tourney starts at 9 a.m. Saturday and will be held on Field No. 2 and Field No. 3.
St. Martin battles NMO at 9 a.m. on Field 2, while West Lauderdale takes on the Diamond Girls at the same time on Field 3. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians battles Biloxi at 10:15 a.m. in Field 3, and at the same time, Corinth takes on the Young Sales Bulldogs on Field 2.
The championship of this bracket is set for Field 3 at 7 p.m., with an if-necessary game to follow.
12-under: There are 10 teams in the 12-under, double-elimination event, which will be held on the Red and Blue fields at the Sammie Davidson Complex.
Biloxi and Kossuth tangle at 9 a.m. on the Blue Field, while North Meridian takes on the Warriorettes in another first-round game at 9 a.m. on the Red Field. Teams which got first-round byes include St. Martin, the Columbus Express, the Bayou View Babes, Orange Grove, the Hot Shot and WLCSA.
Championship action is slated for 8:45 p.m. on the Red Field, with the if-necessary contest to follow.
14-under: There are also 10 teams in the 14-under, double-elimination event, which is also set for Sammie Davidson on the Yellow and Green fields.
Southern Sportsman takes on Ladies Choice at 9 a.m. on the Green Field while West Lauderdale gets the Mississippi Heartbreakers at 9 a.m. to get things started.
Teams which got byes include North Meridian, Kossuth, Biloxi, the Tornadoes, St. Martin and the Hamilton Hustlers.
The championship game is set for 8:45 p.m. on the Yellow Field, with the if-necessary contest to follow at 10 p.m.
16-under: The 16-under age group will be decided in an eight-team, double-elimination event at Northeast Park, using Fields 1 and 2.
The Columbus Raiders battle Saltillo in the opener at 9 a.m., followed by the Biloxi and Complete Computers at 10:15 a.m. The Express meets the Tornadoes at 11:30 and Kossuth battles North Meridian at 12:45 p.m. Each of the first-round games is on Field 1.
Championship action is also on Field 1 at 9:30 p.m., with the if-necessary contest to follow.
Rocky Higginbotham is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at rhigginbotham@themeridianstar.com.