OAKLEAF – The inaugural Tournament of Champions softball tournament had something to offer everyone in attendance over the weekend at Oakleaf High.
For the four local teams each left the tournament with not only different outcomes but four different perspectives as well with the playoffs looming just a month away.
Bradenton Lakewood Ranch (9-1) ran away with the title going 3-0 outscoring its opponents 29-7 along the way with wins over Hardee County 11-1, Oakleaf 7-6 in 9 innings and 11-0 over Aucilla Christian in the title game.
Oakleaf gets ready for their softball match against Ponte Vedra today! pic.twitter.com/W0GymwGeAk
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 16, 2018
Oakleaf
For head coach Christina Thompson and the Knights, this weekend was all about seeing better competition to get them ready for another post season run and defending their state title.
Thompson saw things in every game that her team needs to work on and fix before beginning their playoff grind.
For four innings, the potent 1-9 lineup for the Knights struggled offensively for exploding finally in a 6-2 win over Ponte Vedra in the Knights opener.
Trailing 2-1 in the fifth, Jazmine Lamug led off the fifth with a single to left and scored on Katie Kistler sac fly to right, Kaylee Lambrecht walked and stole second and third before scoring on Madison Mifsud RBI single to left and Rebecca Koskey followed with a RBI single down the left field line for a 4-2 lead.
In the sixth, Angela Agurkis walked, Jaycie Brookshire doubled to put runners on second and third; Lamug sac fly to left scored Argukis and Destiny Pacetti sac fly to center scored Brookshire for a 6-2 lead.
Junior pitcher Cambria Arturo threw well on the mound allowing just three hits and one earned run; before getting into a jam in the fifth loading the bases with two outs before being replaced by Madiisyn Davis, who enduced a grounder to short to get out of the inning scoreless.
Davis, who had the flu the prior week and hadn’t pitched in 8 days, retired 7 of the 8 batters she faced to close out the game and get the win.
Later that night, everybody got the matchup everybody wanted to see as No.1 ranked Oakleaf took on No. 2 Lakewood Ranch in the semifinals and it definitely lived up to the hype.
Tied at 5-5 at the end of the seventh, a runner was put on second courtesy of the speed up rule to speed up the game and prevent the game from going too long considering the game went three plus hours and ended after eleven.
Oakleaf loaded the bases in the eighth courtesy of a Aspen Windesheim walk and a bunt single from Lamug; a sac fly to right allowed the speed up runner to score from third giving Oakleaf a 6-5 lead.
Lakewood Ranch tied it in the bottom of the eighth and with stood a threat from the Knights in the top of the ninth inning stranding a runner on third, before a walk off double allowed the Mustangs to stun host Oakleaf 7-6 in nine innings.
Oakleaf had to rebound from that tough loss less than 24 hours later and did in the third place game with West Nassau Saturday afternoon.
Locked in a scoreless battle through five innings, the Knights exploded with four runs on four consecutive hits to take a 4-0 lead heading into the seventh.
Mifsud led off with a single to left, Brookshire singled to left and both scored on Lauren Wexler crushing 2 RBI triple to left center giving the Knights a 2-0 lead. Pacetti RBI bunt scored Wexler and scored on Pacetti RBI double to center.
Davis now pitching with the lead, retired the final three batters to pick up the win again.
While finishing third wasn’t the ultimate goal, the Knights (9-2) got plenty of confidence and now have the goal of getting revenge against Lakewood Ranch in the state semifinals at the Final Four in Vero Beach.
Madi Davis, Lauren Wexler and Rebecca Koskey with big games for Oakleaf. Getting the 4-0 win over West Nassau in the inaugural tournament of champions at Oakleaf HS pic.twitter.com/UdfJBwCsTs
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 18, 2018
West Nassau
As head coach Randalyn Rogers-Brant put it, this was a chance for her ‘babies’ to get some valuable experience against some of the top teams in the state and get them ready for the postseason.
With just three seniors, all of which were on the team when they played for a state championship their freshman year, Bryant will rely on several underclassmen for help in getting back to Vero Beach again. Out of 14 varsity players, 7 are freshman and the Warriors currently start 2 seniors, 1 junior, 3 sophomores and 4 freshman.
Bryant put together a very tough schedule an by having already wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the district they can prepare home stretch and playing the big dogs and get these “babies” some experience before the playoffs as Bryant put it.
It worked as the young Warriors faced three quality Final Four teams on the weekend and despite being so young stood their ground with them.
Trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning against West Orange in the opening game, the Warriors exploded for 10 runs in the final three innings thanks to three home runs.
Lead off hitter senior Emily Dixon delivered a two out solo home run over the left center field fence to start the rally cutting the lead to 2-1 in the fifth inning.
Dixon solo shot lit a fire in the Warriors offense as the Warriors tacked on three more runs in the sixth as Bree Hickox singled and scored on RBI double from Thi Stone and sophomore Madison Dixon two run shot over the left center field fence gave the Warriors their first lead of the game at 4-2.
Pitcher Skylar Whitty helped herself out with a three run home run to right center scoring Emily Dixon and Hope Epps, who RBI single allowed Mykhala Moore to score earlier. Hickox and Madison Dixon kept the inning going with a single and a double as the Warriors exploded for six runs in the sixth inning.
Whitty struck out ten to get the win despite not having her best day on the mound.
Later in the day, the Warriors bats were silenced as senior Abigail Morgan struck out seven and allowed no hits in a 1-0 win for Aucilla Christian in the semifinals. The lone run scoring on a hit batter with the based loaded in the fourth inning.
Freshman Regan Lee entered the game in the fifth and retired all nine batters she faced striking out four including the side in the seventh inning.
In the third place game, the Warriors again went toe-to-toe with Oakleaf before surrendering four runs in the sixth inning to drop a 4-0 decision to finish in fourth place.
The Warriors loaded the bases in the third with one out but Whitty grounded into a rare 1-2-3 double play to keep them off the scoreboard. That was the best chance to score for the Warriors the entire game as Davis retired the final 12 batters in a row.
West Nassau Warriors @WNHSsoftball getting ready for their tournament of champions match vs Oakleaf! pic.twitter.com/n1BCGgfknS
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 17, 2018
Ponte Vedra
For coach Davita Hodge-Belcher and the Sharks, this weekend was likely about giving them some much needed confidence after dropping several close games.
For four innings, the Sharks went toe-to-toe with one of the states best teams in Oakleaf before surrendering five runs in the final three innings. Later in the day, Ponte Vedra feasted on Hardee County pounding the Wildcats 13-4 to advance to the fifth place game on Saturday.
A day later, it was another late inning collapse that imploded on the Sharks, as trailing 1-0 the Sharks gave up six runs with no outs to end the inning down 7-0 to defending Class 9A state champion West Orange. From their it only got worse as the Warriors cruised to a 11-0 win.
Ponte Vedra (7-7) featuring Kiley Hennessey (Sr., 2B), Quinland Richmond (Sr., OF), Michelle Leone (Jr., SS), Scotland David (So., OF), Michelle Holder (Jr., P), Bailey Wagner (Jr., 3B) and Catherine Beaton (So., INF), learned a lot this weekend and despite being young has the tools to get back to Vero Beach.
Oakleaf gets the 6-2 victory over Ponte Vedra in the opening Tournament of the Champions softball tourney! pic.twitter.com/wHhOSR84WU
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 17, 2018
Trinity Christian
For head coach JR Borden playing in the tournament was a chance to see how his young team would handle the pressure and also help his team get ready for the postseason.
Perhaps no other team was snake-bitten so to speak on the weekend as the Conquerors lost a pair of one run games Friday, including a 1-0 loss to Aucilla Christian and a 5-4 loss to West Orange in the nightcap. However, they showed a lot in a 5-2 win Saturday over Hardee County in the seventh place game.
Featuring underclassmen Breezy Burnett (8th, OF), junior Alexis Ross (Jr., OF), Amaya Ross (Fr., SS), Bailey Cooley (Jr., P), Mackenzie Marell (Fr., C/OF), the Conquerors (11-4) still have a lot of growing up to do.
Seeing competition they faced this past weekend will only help them in the long run as they prepare for districts, regionals and perhaps a third consecutive trip to the Final Four again.
Desiray Connell FIU commit, Bailey Cooley (W), and Amaya Ross ( FSU commit) with exceptional play for Trinity getting the 5-2 victory over Hardee County in today’s Tournament of Champions at @knights_ohs @amayaross2021 @amayaross12 @desiconnell @baileycooley15 pic.twitter.com/yuI7fKGliy
— Duval Sports ™️ (@DuvalSports) March 17, 2018
Tournament of Champions
Friday
Game 1: West Nassau 10, West Orange 4
Game 2: Aucilla Christian 1, Trinity Christian 0
Game 3: Lakewood Ranch 11, Hardee County 1
Game 4: Oakleaf 6, Ponte Vedra 2
Game 5: West Orange 5, Trinity Christian 4
Game 6: Ponte Vedra 13, Hardee County 4
Game 7: Aucilla Christian 1, West Nassau 0
Game 8: Lakewood Ranch 7, Oakleaf 6 (9)
Elizabeth Hightower mowed down Trinity with 17 strikeouts and 2 hits in 1-0 win earlier today. pic.twitter.com/o1OobnQvv6
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) March 17, 2018
Saturday
Game 9: Trinity Christian 5, Hardee County 2 (7th Place)
Game 10: West Orange 10, Ponte Vedra 0 (5th Place)
Game 11: Oakleaf 4, West Nassau 0 (3rd Place)
Game 12: Lakewood Ranch 11, Aucilla Christian 0 (1st Place)
Lakewood Ranch Mustangs are The Inaugural Champs at The Tournament of Champions. @andreellis55 @DuvalSports pic.twitter.com/ZiJnwwSwyj
— Makeda Lawton (@adekam1976) March 17, 2018
