PINEVILLE, La. — The Vidalia Gators Senior League softball All-Star team couldn’t have gotten off to a better start at the Southwest Regional Tournament.

The Gators got great pitching and hitting in rolling over New Mexico 11-0 in the opening game of the tournament.

Paige Bryan and Mollie Devening combined on a one-hitter as Vidalia had 14 hits of its own in the victory.

“We really had a good outing,” Vidalia coach Rut Horne said. “We played small ball for the most part and laid down a bunch of bunts and slap hits. And we had the occasional long ball.”

Ginny Daggett got the scoring started for Vidalia in the bottom of the first inning when she drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple.

Daggett added another triple later in the game.

Savannah Johnston also had a big triple that drove in two runs in a three-run fifth inning that ended the game due to the 10-run mercy rule.

“All of our girls played very hard,” Horne said. “They were very aggressive on the base paths. Every chance we had, we stole bases and we never had a runner thrown out. We’ve got an extremely quick team.”

While the Gators offense was stealing bases and putting runs up on the board, Bryan and Devening were shutting New Mexico’s offense down.

“We didn’t have to use but two pitchers tonight and they pitched great,” Horne said. “We’ve still got Ginny Daggett and Ellen Bairnsfather who can pitch as well.”

KeKe Collins was 3-for-4 in the victory while Bairnsfather was 2-for-2 as was Taylor Morace.

Vidalia will play West Texas in a winner’s bracket game at 8 p.m. today.

West Texas drew a bye and didn’t have to play on Friday night.

“They were scouting us pretty good I’m sure,” Horne said.

The winner of the tournament goes to the Senior League Softball World Series in Lower Sussex, Del.