On to state

Less than a week after surviving a dramatic district championship game against Sneads, the Marianna Angels All-Stars head out to Brooksville to compete in the state tournament.

The Angels, who advanced to state by beating Sneads 14-3 in seven innings, will leave for Brooksville early this morning. Opening ceremonies for the tournament to take place at 6 p.m., and tournament play set to begin Friday. Marianna won’t know who or when it will play until the brackets are revealed tonight.

“The girls are really geared up and ready to go,” Marianna coach Joey Basford said Wednesday. “They played a fantastic district tournament (going a perfect 3-0). They hit the ball really well, pitched well and fielded well.”

Marianna capped its district title run in one of the more unusual games of the season June 26 at Optimist Park. Sneads and Marianna found themselves in a scoreless tie through six innings, before Marianna exploded for 14 runs in the seventh.

“I’m 42 years old and I’ve played and coached ball my entire life, and that game was probably one of the greatest I’ve ever been a part of,” Basford said. “The final score was not reflective of the kind of game that was.

“The Sneads girls deserve a lot of credit. They’re a bunch of great kids. They played their hearts out.”

Marianna was on the brink of elimination in the fifth inning, with pitcher Baylee Childs facing a bases-loaded jam with one out. However, Childs struck out two batters in a row to end the threat and held down the Sneads lineup in the sixth inning as well, to set the stage for the seventh-inning explosion.

“Our girls really showed what they were made of,” Basford said.

Now it’s on to state, with only four practices wedged in between the district title game and the trip to Brooksville.

“It’s a quick turnaround,” Basford said. “But we’ve had some real good practices and the girls are hitting and fielding well.

“They’re excited to go out there and face a little bit of different competition. Everybody out there is a district winner, so the competition will be a little stiffer than in league and in district play.”

However, Basford said he couldn’t be happier with who he was taking with him to Brooksville.

“I’ve got 12 good girls and 12 good sets of parents who have been really supportive through the entire process,” the coach said. “These are some great kids. They pour their hearts out every time they get on the field. When the game’s over, it shows because we’re usually on top.”

Basford said he expected there to be 10 to 12 teams at the state tournament, although he said he believes his team can play with any of them.

“There will be some really good teams, but I don’t think there’s anybody down there we can’t compete with,” the coach said. “I’ve got four good pitchers I’ve got a lot of confidence in, and 12 girls who can hit and field the ball. I feel really good about our chances. It will be tough, but I know we can get the job done.”

Basford said he was grateful to all who helped the team come up with the funds to make the 600-mile round trip to Brooksville and back.

“We’ve been out beating the bushes for help and the citizens, civic clubs and merchants of Marianna, Sneads, Grand Ridge and Chattahoochee have all poured their hearts out and raised the money necessary to make the trip. People have been very gracious with their money.

“We’re going to go down there and try to represent Marianna and bring back a state title if possible.”