By Josh Beavers

The Little Warriors softball team turned in outstanding performances over the last couple months as part of the North Louisiana Youth Sports Association (NLYSA). This was the second straight season the Little Warriors took part in the spring NLYSA league, and this one ended in a championship in the playoffs.

The season consisted of a six-week regular season followed by a single-elimination postseason tournament. The Little Warriors fielded both a 5th grade and 6th grade squad during the regular season. The teams came together as one for the playoff tournament.

The 6th grade team was simply dominant, posting an undefeated regular season record. The 5th grade team was nearly as impressive, dropping just one game over the six-week schedule.

Combining the teams for the postseason, the Little Warriors continued their winning ways. They buzzed through the tournament without tasting defeat, capping off an extraordinarily successful NLYSA softball/baseball campaign. It was a season showcasing both individual talent and team cohesion.

With strong pitching, timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and steady defense, the Little Warriors established themselves as a rising powerhouse in the NLYSA.

“I think the Little Warrior softball program is so great for these young girls! It brings together players with all different levels of experience to play together and grow as a team,” coach Marcus Harmon told the Journal. “As the coach, I’m a firm believer that the regular season is primarily about player development and gaining experience. We lay the foundations of fundamentals, camaraderie, and love of the game during those early weeks.”

Harmon said it was “go time” when the tournament rolled around. That’s when they shifted gears and focused on doing whatever it took to bring home that championship trophy.

“Over the past couple seasons coaching the Little Warriors, I’ve seen tremendous growth in our 5th and 6th grade girls, even after just one year in the program,” he said. “It’s remarkable and so rewarding for me as a coach.

He continued: “I can already envision this group paying huge dividends for Lakeside Softball down the road. The Little Warrior program also drives community support from current and prospective school families. We’re not just building better ballplayers but building a culture and community.”

Harmon said his goal is that through athletics to develop confident, resilient young women who will carry the skills and life lessons from softball into future success, on and off field.

“I’m excited to continue working with this special group of players for years to come!” he said. “The sky’s the limit for our Little Warriors.”

In the playoffs:
Game 1 Recap

In game one of the playoffs, Lakeside faced off against Jesus the Good Shepherd school out of Monroe. This was a team they had not encountered during regular season play. Lakeside was the home team for this tight pitchers’ duel that saw the Little Warriors ultimately prevail 2-1.

Madisyn “Moose” Jernigan was on the mound for Lakeside. Both teams stranded runners in the first couple innings before JGS managed to push one across in the top of the 3rd. A triple to left-center followed by a throwing error allowed a JGS runner to score the first run of the game.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Lakeside answered back with some smart, aggressive base running. Emmaline drew a leadoff walk and quickly stole both 2nd and 3rd base. A fielding error on a throw down to 3rd allowed her to score the tying run. Moose then drew a walk herself, advancing to 3rd on yet another JGS fielding error. Lakeside took a 2-1 lead.

Moose gave up a leadoff walk in the 4th but bore down to strike out the next three batters in a row to close out the complete game victory. She had 10 strikeouts total on the day. The Lakeside offense scraped together just enough runs thanks to plate discipline and hustle on the base paths to squeak out the playoff win.

Game 2 Recap  
In game two of the playoffs, Lakeside faced off against Ouachita Christian. Moose was back in the circle looking to lead her team to another postseason victory.

OCS drew first blood in the opening inning, turning a two-out walk into a run on a single and double for a 1-0 lead. But Lakeside answered right back, manufacturing a run in the bottom half of the 1st. Emmaline Harmon drew a leadoff walk and promptly stole second. She came around to score on a two-out RBI single by Sarah Finklea that knotted the game at 1-1.

The pitchers took over in the 2nd and 3rd innings, with Moose striking out the side in the top of the 3rd. In the bottom half, Moose helped her own cause with a leadoff walk followed by a steal of 2nd base. Brayleigh Lewis then smashed an RBI triple to give Lakeside the lead. Karlee Brewer laid down a perfect suicide squeeze to plate Brayleigh and make it 3-1.

The Lakeside defense flashed some leather in the 4th when Kynlee Wood made an outstanding running catch in deep center field to rob an extra-base hit. Moose finished strong, racking up 4 more strikeouts in the 5th to seal the complete game 3-1 victory. She tallied 13 strikeouts in total.

Once again, Lakeside used plate discipline, clutch hits, aggressive baserunning, and standout pitching from Moose to grit out a hard-fought playoff win against OCS 6th.

Game 3 Recap
Lakeside faced Glenbrook in the third game of their playoff run.
This game started out as a classic pitcher’s duel between Moose and Glenbrook’s hurler. Moose struck out the side in both the 1st and 2nd innings. Meanwhile, Lakeside was struggling to scratch out any offense early on as well.

The breakthrough finally came in the top of the 3rd sparked by some timely Lakeside hitting. It started with Moose getting hit by a pitch with two outs. Brayleigh Lewis followed with a double, Sarah Finklea singled, and Karlee Brewer doubled to push across the first three runs of the ballgame.

Glenbrook managed an unearned run in the bottom of the 4th, but Lakeside pulled away for good in the 5th. Moose, Brayleigh, and Sarah strung together back-to-back-to-back hits to plate two more runs. Some heads up baserunning allowed Lakeside to capitalize on a perfectly placed sac bunt by Karlee Brewer for their 4th and final run of the inning.  

Moose finished off her dominant complete game effort by striking out the side again in the bottom of the 5th. She racked up 14 strikeouts on the day to give Lakeside the 7-1 playoff victory. Timely hitting combined with aggressive baserunning and lockdown pitching paved the way for Lakeside’s third straight impressive postseason win.

Harmon gave special recognition to the following:

– Ace pitcher Madisyn “Moose” Jernigan was utterly dominant on the rubber, racking up double digit strikeouts in each postseason matchup. She also came through at the plate by drawing key walks and sparking rallies.  

– Behind the dish, Brayleigh Lewis was a brick wall, expertly handling Moose’s array of pitches while steadfastly controlling the running game.  

– Sarah Finklea delivered in the clutch with timely hitting and provided watertight defense at the hot corner with several key stops.  

– Second baseman Karlee Brewer flashed the leather with smooth hands and range. She also perfectly executed two beautifully placed squeeze bunts to plate critical runs.

– Emmaline Harmon covered ground smoothly in the outfield while also serving as a speedy pinch runner for catcher Lewis on the basepaths.  

– Kynlee Wood showed impressive closing speed and athleticism to rob opponents of extra base hits on multiple occasions.

Some final quotes from Harmon include:

– I can’t finish without giving a huge shoutout to the individuals working behind the scenes all year long to make the Little Warriors program a huge success! Jonathan Wallace, Tara Wallace, and Coach Stewart are our board members, and nothing would be possible without their efforts!

– I also want to thank my assistant coaches: Dani Jernigan, Chris Carter, and Darell Hamiter. They devoted many hours to helping with practices and games.

– I also must thank Coach Brittany Smith for being so helpful and accommodating for us to use the top-notch Lakeside Softball facilities!

– I’m so proud of these girls and the hard work they put in during the many cold nights of practice. I’m glad they have a championship trophy to show for it!

The full list of Little Warriors includes:
– 4th grader: Emersyn Jernigan
– 5th graders: Emmaline Harmon, Karlee Brewer, Chancy Smith, Kaitlin Hamiter, Skyler Marques, Kynlee Dale, Khaleesi Smith, Malajae Willis, Eastyn Pate, Presley Barton
– 6th graders: Lilly Wallace, Sarah Finklea, Brayleigh Lewis, Kynlee Wood, Madisyn (Moose) Jernigan, Irelan Carter, Brayleigh Dale, Bella McCoy