VIDALIA — The Vidalia 13- and 14-year-olds defeated Blanchard 4-2 for the second day in a row to punch a ticket to the regional tournament in New Mexico later this month.

Head coach Leigh Anne Mason hopes her team can ride the wave of momentum.

“Honestly, Vidalia has been there the last four years, so we’re going to look up to those girls for some guidance and win some ballgames,” Mason said.

The two-team, two-day state tournament sweep was a team effort that showcased solid pitching, strong defense and timely hitting. A day after Shelby Mason threw a one-hit, complete game against Blanchard, Haley Sharp stepped inside the circle and delivered a six-inning, four-hit performance.

“I’ve been pitching since I was 7, and I just give all the glory to God because I wouldn’t be here without Him,” Sharp said.

Leigh Anne said having a one-two pitching combination like Mason and Sharp makes them a dangerous team to face.

“We’re really comfortable with our pitching,” Leigh Anne said. “That’s our strong point, and our defense made some really great plays today.”

Sharp held Blanchard scoreless until the fifth inning when Cheyenne Spararo hit an RBI double to put Blanchard on the board. Vidalia held a 4-1 advantage, though, as they scored their first run in the second inning with aggressive base running by Shelbi McManus. McManus laid a bunt down for a single before stealing second, advancing to third on a past ball and crossing home plate after another wild pitch.

“We didn’t have any stolen bases (in Game 1), and we decided we were going to test their catcher,” Leigh Anne said. “We picked one of our quickest girls to test her, and it paid off.”

Caroline Cotton scored McManus in the fourth inning on a ground ball before Sharp added two more for Vidalia with a 2-RBI triple. The hit gave Vidalia a 4-0 lead before Blanchard tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth inning.

Back-to-back singles to start the seventh inning allowed Blanchard to have two runners on with no outs, down 4-2.

Vidalia elected to put in Alysa Howard to get the save, and thanks to a diving play by Sharp at third to get a force out, a strikeout and a groundball to end the game, Howard got the job done.