It certainly wasn’t easy but nothing is in the playoffs. The Zachary Broncos Softball team picked up two big wins in the Class 4A Playoffs to advance to the State Tournament this weekend in Sulphur at Frasch Park Softball Complex.

The Lady Broncos earned the eighth seed in the playoffs and they faced Baton Rouge’s Tara in the first round last Tuesday. The Lady Trojans entered the playoffs as the 25th seed. Coach Leslie Efferson called on senior Pitcher Jessie Browne to lead her team in game one.

“Our pitchers have done a great job all season long and they know how important it is to continue to pitch well in the playoffs,” Efferson said. Browne was in a zone for the Lady Broncos as she struck out 18 batters and walked one in the Broncos’ 17-1 win over the Lady Trojans.

Alyssa Johnson was red hot at the plate as she went 3-for-3 for the Lady Broncos with three runs batted in as well. Rachelle Jones, Mary Phillips and Kayla Orillion had two hits each and Zachary bashed out 11 hits in their win over the Lady Trojans.

Zachary advanced to the state regional round of the playoffs and faced Leesville with a berth in the 2009 state tournament on the line. The Lady Broncos came away with the slimmest of victories as they won the game 1-0.

Coach Efferson said that pitching and defense was once again the key for her Lady Broncos. “We made a few mistakes and had a few more chances to score more runs, but I am very proud of the way the team played and they have certainly earned their right to be in the top eight.”

The eighth seeded Broncos will take on top seeded Belle Chase on Friday afternoon in the 4A quarter-finals. The game is scheduled to begin at noon. Should the Lady Broncos win, they advance to the Class 4A semi-finals on Saturday and face either Vanderbilt Catholic or district foe Live Oak. The Lady Broncos enter the Great Eight with a 20-12 overall record of the season.

Saturday’s state semi-final game starts at 1 p.m. and the winner advances to the Class 4A State Championship Game later that night at 7 p.m. Right now, however, Coach Efferson and her Broncos are focusing on Belle Chase.

“We both had very tough games in the regional round of playoffs and we have both played tough schedules. This time of year it comes down to which team plays the best and which team makes the least amount of mistakes, all the teams are good in this tournament.”