By CHRIS SCARNATI

Sports Editor

The Houma 12-year-old All-Stars lost to Pitt County (N.C.), 8-0, Saturday in the Babe Ruth Softball World Series.

Nonetheless, they won the hearts of tournament officials.

&#8220At the end of the final game, people who helped run the World Series told us that our little team inspired and captured the essence of what good softball is all about,” said Houma assistant coach Duane Bland. &#8220The girls were the press box favorite – people wanted them to win. They lost with smiles on their faces and won with humility.”

Houma finished its 11-day stay in Wilson, N.C., with an 6-3 tournament record and a plaque honoring the team as the second best in the nation.

The All-Stars rallied in consecutive games Friday to defeat Concord (Calif.), 8-7, and Johnson County (Calif.), 5-3, to advance to the championship.

&#8220We were down against Concord, which has a phenomenal hitting staff, 6-0, in first inning,” explained Houma head coach Donnie Naquin. &#8220But the girls came back after a 30-minute weather delay chanting, cheering, and carrying on. When the Concord coach saw this, he later said ‘I knew we were in trouble.’ And then we came back to win.

&#8220Our girls’ bats are usually sleeping in the first and second innings, but once they wake up, the girls do really well.”

The All-Stars bats, however, napped throughout much of its game against Pitt County, which exploded to a 7-0 lead in the second inning and never looked back.

After 11 days of softball, fatigue had set in.

Sweltering temperatures made many of the games uncomfortable. Houma catcher Sabrina Bergeron was sidelined with heat exhaustion against Angola, Ind.

&#8220We’re happy to be getting home because the heat was unbelievable,” said head coach Donnie Naquin. &#8220I think it averaged about 106 degrees.”

Tournament officials ended up rescheduling games to morning and evening time slots.

But the scorching weather couldn’t melt the spirits of Naquin’s players.

&#8220You could probably make a movie about this Houma team,” he said. &#8220Attitude-wise, this was one of the best team’s I’ve ever coached.”

Bergeron was named to the all-tournament team.

Gold Gloves went to Taylor Sons (second base), Kia Naquin (third), Chayenne Naquin (left field) and Ashley Theriot (pitcher).

Sportsmanship Awards were presented to Kayla Bland, Taylor Dupre, Sons and Theriot.

Naquin said he appreciated the support of local businesses, which helped fund his team’s trip.

The Houma 12-year-old All-Stars show off the hardware they won at the babe Ruth Softball World Series, which concluded Saturday in Wilson, N.C. The All-Stars posted a 6-3 tournament record and finished second in the nation.