WESTSIDE -Her huge smile said it all, as Bailey Cooley was finally enjoying this moment, her first playoff win of her high school career.
Cooley dominated on the mound and at the plate helping her team pound Florida High 14-3 in 6 innings in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs.
“This is my first year on the team as I transferred from Fletcher and I was use to losing at districts or in the first round of the playoffs,” Cooley said.
Thanks to her and her teammates, Cooley will get to play in her first second round playoff game next week after the Conquerors attacked starter Julia Hayes with a five run first inning.
Trinity nearly batted around sending eight batters to the plate as the Conquerors used their team speed and timely hitting and also took advantage of Seminole errors to take the early lead.
Before Cooley took the mound in the second inning, she inherited a 5-0 lead and already had plenty of run support.
“It was very intense early in the game, I was just trying to get three outs but that big inning made me relax more and work on my off speed,” Cooley said. “My screwball was jamming them a lot.”
Hayes two run home run off Cooley to left field was nearly caught by Alexis Ross who reached over the fence, cutting the lead to 5-2 temporarily in the top of the second.
Trinity added to its lead in the second as MacKenzie Marell reached on an error and scored on Desi Connell’s RBI single up the middle for a 6-2 lead.
In the fourth, the Conquerors struck again as lead off batter Alexis Ross drew a walk, her cousin Amaya Ross reached on an errant throw to first by the third baseman, allowing Alexis Ross to score. Marrell RBI single to center scored Amaya Ross, before getting thrown out at second after trying to extend her single into a double.
In the top of the fifth, FSU cut the lead to 6-3 as Hayes singled to center and scored on Stephanie Oaks two out single down the first base line. With runners on first and second, Cooley got out of the jam with a spectacular catch by the left fielder in foul territory.
Her defense bailed her out again with three more unbelievable catches in center field by Ross, right field and first base, the latter a diving play by the FSU dugout which ended the sixth inning.
Trinity put it away with a six-run sixth inning as Alexis Ross singled to left and Amaya Ross walked; both scored on a wild pitch and an errant throw by the catcher.
Marrell followed with a walk, Connell singled to center, Marrell came around to score on a wild pitch and Johnson walked to put Conquerors on second and third still with no outs.
That’s when Cooley, who doubled in the fifth, stepped to the plate and delivered the knock out blow sending a Hayes pitch over the left center field fence wall for a walk off three run home run giving the Conquerors a 14-3 win.
“That was my second of my career, I hit one at Fletcher my freshman year, but that was my first this season,” a joyous Cooley said. “I wasn’t expecting that, but I was thinking lets get a walk off here and she threw me an inside pitch and yeah basically I knew as soon as I hit I put my hands up and began celebrating. She hit that home run off me in the second, I had to get payback and help my team.”
Perhaps no was more proud of her than her head coach J.R. Borden.
“I was really excited for her, Bailey carries us and she’s a good hitter too,” Borden said.
While Trinity attacked Hayes through out the game, they were also very aggressive on the bases stealing 13 bases on the night.
“With all the speed we have that’s been our game plan all year long especially these last three games,” Borden said. “Get Alexis on, steal second, same for Amari and then we have MacKenzie, coming up who is batting .519 right now.”
Getting through the first round isn’t good enough though as the Conquerors try to get back to Vero Beach and get that elusive first state title.
No. 9 ranked Trinity (16-10) will travel to No. 8 ranked North Bay (18-7), a 1-0 winner of Episcopal last night, Tuesday in the Elite 8.
However a schedule which was loaded with numerous playoff teams like Oakleaf, West Nassau, Baker County, Mandarin, Union County, Hardee County, West Orange, Clay and Aucilla Christian, has the Conquerors well prepared for a long playoff run.
“Our schedule definitely helps us, it shows we can play with anyone,” Borden said. “Our philosophy is our first 23 games are a learning experience and we don’t worry about anyone else, who ever we play we just have to play our game.”
