ORANGE PARK -That old saying its hard to beat a team three times couldn’t be more true, but what if you play that same team four times, it gets even harder.
For the fourth time this season, Clay and Ridgeview met on the softball diamond, only this time the stakes were even higher for both.
With Clay holding a 2-1 lead in the series coming into the playoff game both coaches knew it was going to be another battle. As Clay had won a 7-3 decision March 27 at Ridgeview and a 2-1 eight inning affair two weeks later April 13 in the rematch at Clay, which decided the top seed in the district; while Ridgeview won the most important matchup at the time a 5-0 win in the District 4-6A title game.
A trip to the Elite 8 was on the line for both, one step closer to the Final Four; while the loser called it a season and began preparing for next season.
Ridgeview, which played nearly flawless the entire game with just one error, made two crucial errors in the final inning which proved to be costly.
Paola Jorge Silva reached safely on first as first baseman Raven Little couldn’t successfully squeeze a throw from short dropping the ball as Silva stepped on the bag. Ali Sarman put down a sac bunt allowing Silva to reach second with one down to put Silva in scoring position.
After a strikeout, lead off batter Kaitlyn Kumpf reached on an error by shortstop Alyssa Adams, who juggled a grounder and realized she couldn’t make a play anywhere, putting Silva on third and Kumpf on first.
Charlotte DeNapoli then delivered a clutch two out hit into right center allowing Silva to score and Kump advance all the way to third, DeNapoli moved to second on the throw home putting Devils into scoring position again.
However, starter Brittany Michael got out of the jam by getting Marianne McDonald to pop up to second to end the inning.
With the lead again, Clay starter Morgan Crutcher went to the mound with a lot of confidence and just three outs away from sending her team to the Elite 8 again.
Crutcher retired the side in order getting two ground out and ending the game with a strikeout to get the win but more importantly send her team to the next round.
Sorry for angle to get it had to turn camera. Called third strike ends it and sends Blue Devils to Elite 8. @Clay_Athletics pic.twitter.com/S5UYXW2l6h
— Corey Davis (@ByCoreyDavis) May 8, 2018
Michael pitched well despite getting the loss and has earned a lot of respect from veteran Clay head coach Matt Lewis.
“Against a pitcher like Brittany (Michael) you have to play all 9 batters, she’s a shut down pitcher and she will put the brakes on you, and she’s only a freshman so I have to deal with her for another three years,” Lewis said. “We struggled to get timely hits off her and our two best hitters didn’t do anything.”
When Sarman scored on McDonald’s RBI single down the first base line in the third inning, it appeared that would be enough for the Blue Devils.
However, Lewis knew that wouldn’t be enough and he was right.
“Heck yeah I knew it was going to be a close one, I expected this kind of game, as this is the fourth time we have played them,” Lewis said.
Both teams struggled to come up with the big hit through out the game as both left several runners on base as Ridgeview left four on base and Clay left seven.
None were bigger than the second inning where the Panthers loaded the bases with one out and couldn’t score any runs.
With one out, Chloe Chambers singled to left, Ashlyn Halford reached on an error and Brittany Michael reached on a hard single off McDonald glove loading the bases.
Crutcher got help from her defense to get out of it unscathed as Milan Sablon sac bunt down the third base line was played by a charging Hailey Stone, who fired home to Kump who applied the tag to gun Chambers out at home for the second out. Crutcher then struck out Adams to end the inning to get out of the jam giving up no runs.
Two innings later, Ridgeview (16-7) was finally able to tie it up as Little scored on Halford’s RBI single to center tying the game.
Despite giving up the tying run, Crutcher settled down as Halford was forced out at second and Sablon grounded out to short to end the fourth inning.
That would be the last time the Panthers would reach beyond first as Kumpf threw out two runners attempting to steal second in the fifth and sixth innings and a pinch runner in the eighth was thrown out at second after getting caught in a pickle play.
Clay had two runners reach in the sixth with two outs but Michael induced a pop up from Silva to third to end the threat.
In the eighth, McDonald lead off the inning with a single to left and moved to second after a sac bunt from Stone with one out. However, Michael was able to get out it with back-to-back ground outs to give the Panthers a chance to win it.
The late game heroics denied the Panthers the chance to become the first team to advance to the regional final; for the third time joining the 2002 and 2017 teams.
Instead it allowed Clay to reach the regional final for the first time since 2008 and help erase their memory of second round losses in both 2015 and 2016.
It also allowed the Blue Devils to get a little revenge as well as the Panthers eliminated the Devils in the District 4-6A semi-finals last season.
“I’m just happy to be moving on to the Elite 8, don’t care where we go,” an excited Lewis said. “Our defense has been keeping us in games and our pitching has also been solid.”
A huge reason the Blue Devils are in their fourth regional final (2001, 2004, 2008) is a brutal schedule, which featured games against teams in the playoffs such as Baker County (Sweet 16), Union County (Sweet 16), Bartram Trail (Sweet 16), Keystone Heights (Elite 8), Oakleaf (Elite 8), Trinity Christian (Final Four) and Holmes County (Final Four).
“Our schedule has helped us tremendously, there is a reason why we went to Montverde for a tournament and Wakulla for two games,” Lewis said. “You put yourself on the road to get you ready for the playoffs.”
Lewis will have his team well prepared for another long road trip as the reward for the big win over district rival Ridgeview is a six plus hour ride to Pensacola now as Clay (17-12) will travel to West Florida (18-10) in the Class 6A regional final Friday.
