OAKLEAF – A year after finishing third in inaugural tournament, host Oakleaf made sure it wouldn’t happen again as the Knights cruised to win the Second Annual Tournament of Champions championship.
Over three days, Oakleaf out scored its opponents 26-4 against an elite field of teams which featured four state runner-up teams from 2018, 3 Final Four teams from 2018 and one Elite 8 team from last season.
All while missing one of its key players junior centerfielder and Florida commit Katie Kistler, who missed the entire tournament due to a death in the family.
Oakleaf got key contributions from newcomers junior center fielder Jaeda McFarland and sophomore catcher Jadrianna Serrano.
While all the attention was on Oakleaf for winning the title, there was plenty of drama and late game heroics on the final day as well.
First place: Oakleaf 8, Gainesville 0
The highly anticipated title game didn’t live up to the hype at all, as the expected anticipated matchup between pitchers Cambria Arturo and Alissa Humphrey never happened.
Gainesville head coach Chris Chronister decided to start Summer Palmer instead of Humphrey possibly due to an injury or fatigue. As Humphrey had thrown the previous two games and was possibly burned out.
Palmer didn’t stand a chance against that potent Oakleaf lineup, who scored 8 runs in the first three innings.
Jaeda McFarland singled and Kaylee Lambrecht followed with a RBI single to score McFarland. Baylee Goddard followed with a RBI single to right to score Lambrecht to give Oakleaf a 2-0 lead in the first.
It only got worse as the Knights tacked on five more in the second to put it away.
McFarland lined a double to left center to knock in a pair of runs and Jaycie Brookshire launched a two-run home run over the left field wall and almost to the concession stand to give Oakleaf (11-1) a 7-0 lead after two innings.
Caitlynne Lamug walked and scored on Jadrianna Serrano RBI single to left center to close out the scoring in the third.
While the offense was teeing off on the Hurricanes, Arturo was shutting down their offense down quickly.
Arturo retired nine in a row before giving up her first hit on a leadoff single by Paris Wiggs in the top of the fourth inning. Wiggs was the only Hurricane to get a hit off Arturo ginishing 2-3 on the day with two hits.
“Cambria did everything we asked her to do, she was zone in tonight, ” Oakleaf head coach Christina Thompson said.
The defense also made spectacular plays on both sides as reserve outfielder Faith Hauhe made an over the shoulder catch in the fourth and then doubled up the runner at second for a double play.
While Ashton Palmer reached over the wall and robbed Goddard of a home run in the sixth, which brought the crowd to its feet and much praise from Goddard and Thompson.
“The pitch before I debated on moving her but she made a phenomenal catch and then was able to get a double play,” Thompson said about Hauhe’s catch.
“I knew she was close but she (Palmer) made a great catch,” Thompson said.
After finishing third in last years inaugural tournament, Oakleaf was more determined to bring home the trophy this year.
“My girls were focused, after Lakewood Ranch got us last year in extra innings they wanted this title this year even more,” Thompson said.
Third place: Lake Wales 5, Trinity 3
The most entertaining game of the day and weekend by far was the third place between Lake Wales and Trinity.
Things started really well for Trinity scoring two runs in the first inning to take the early lead.
Alexis Ross and Regan Griffis both laid down bunts to reach putting runners on first and second. MacKenzie Marell RBI single to center scored Ross and Griffis scored on an error giving the Conquerors the early lead.
Trinity added to its lead as Marell doubled to left and scored on Bailey Cooley two out RBI single to left center making it a 3-0 lead.
Lake Wales loaded the bases in the bottom of the third with two outs but Cooley got a grounder to short to end the threat.
Amaya Ross doubled to center with out in the fifth, Linzie LaFavor singled to right yet Ross was gunned at home on the throw back in to keep the Conquerors off the scoreboard.
Nine runners left on base through six innings by the Conquerors would come back to haunt them later.
Lake Wales batted around in the bottom of the sixth sending nine batters to the plate on their way to scoring five runs.
Kiki Morris laid down a bunt for a single to lead off the inning, the first Highlander to reach first since the fourth. Zayla McBurrows singled, Destiny Cuevas followed with a RBI double to score Morris.
The hitting parade continued as Lexi Thomas grounded out to second to score McBurrows and Sommer Baker followed with a single to left tying the game at 3-3 still in the sixth with one out. Causing Trinity coaches to go to the mound to try to settle down Cooley.
The hits kept coming as Lake Wales had finally opened up on Cooley and figured things out.
Cameron Dicks singled to left and pitcher Nadia Zenteno delivered the big blow with a 2 RBI double to left center giving the Highlanders a shocking 5-3 lead.
Cooley ended the damage with a grounder to the mound and a sac fly to left.
Perhaps a little shell shocked by what had transpired in the top of the inning, things got a bit heated in the bottom half of the inning.
After a pop up, Breezy Burnett reached first on an error on the first baseman, Rylee Aspinwall followed with a walk to put runners on first and second.
Alexis Ross laid down a bunt down third, as the ball was in play towards third, Burnett and shortstop Sommer Baker, who was in the base path and not fielding the ball, collided as Burnett was trying to run to third.
Ross was ruled safe at first to load the bases for the Conquerors with one out, putting the tying run at second.
Baker fell to the ground in pain immediately after the collision drawing immediate attention from coaches and the umpires.
It also brought out an ugly situation as an unidentified Lake Wales coach verbally attacked Breezy Burnett from the dug out calling her a “dirty player” for intentionally running into his player on purpose.
That triggered the Trinity third base coach to defend his player and shout back to the Lake Wales coach, “How dare you talk to a young lady like that, that’s a punk, don’t talk to my player now or ever again.
The raging Lake Wales coach left the dug out and began yelling at the Trinity third base coach and soon two other Lake Wales coaches joined in trying to restrain their coach as well as try to separate the two opposing coaches.
This brought the Trinity coaches out to separate their coach as well as the umpires and Oakleaf coaches.
Ironically while all this was going on, Baker and a few of her teammates walked over to Burnett and shook hands to show there was no animosity between them it was just adults acting like teenagers.
After separating the coaches, there was a brief cooling off period as Trinity coaches walked back to their side of the field. That’s when the Lake Wales coach walked back out dug out and told the Trinity coach for the second time “he could meet him in the parking lot and settle things there if he wanted to.”
The home plate umpire had heard that remark and told him it was time for him to leave and go to the parking lot for good.
All this was going on and we still had bases loaded and one out and Trinity still down two runs.
After both teams regrouped play resumed finally with Conquerors on the attack trying to get tie it up.
McBurrows went back to the mound and was clutch striking out the next two batters to get out of the heated jam and get the Highlander fans fired up even more.
Lake Wales loaded the bases in the top of the seventh with two outs looking to extend their lead; however Coley got a huge strikeout to end the threat.
There was no late inning heroics as Trinity got a two out single from Lindsey Smith but couldn’t do anything with it.
Fifth place: Clay 3, West Orange 2
Tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, junior outfielder Morgan Silvis delivered the knock out blow with a walk off single to left field scoring Marianna McDonald to help Clay (8-4) finish fifth with a come from behind 3-2 win over West Orange.
Dalaney Anfinson led off the second with a walk and scored the games first run on Sydney Davis RBI single to center field to give Clay a 1-0 lead.
Clay added to its lead in the fourth as Silvis walked and scored on Dakota Worley RBI double down the third base line to give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead.
West Orange rallied to cut the lead in half as Lexi Scalzo walked and scored off an error by the right fielder cutting the lead to 2-1. With runners on second and third and two outs, Morgan Crutcher got out of the jam with a grounder to second.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Warriors tied it as Amanda Dennis tripled down the line in left. Hannah Silver doubled in Dennis tying the game at 2-2 while also putting the go ahead run at second.
An error moved Silver to third and put a runner on first still with n outs, however Crutcher got out of it with a strikeout and two grounders.
Heading to the seventh, the Warriors had another chance to take the lead as Scalzo singled to left and stole second with two outs; yet Crutcher got Dennis to fly out to left to end the threat.
Seventh Place: West Nassau 10, Keystone Heights 0
Twenty minutes after dropping the game to West Orange, Keystone had to turn around and play in the seventh place game against West Nassau.
West Nassau was ready to play attacking the Indians from the get-go to establish a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning.
While the bats were blazing hot, sophomore pitcher Regan Lee fired a two hitter and struck out six to get the win.
Hope Epps led of the game with a single to left, Bree Hartman lined a RBI single to left scoring Epps. Madison Dixon doubled to left center and Vivian Gorey 2 RBI double scored Hartman and Dixon to give the Warriors a 3-0 lead.
Lee retired four in a row before giving up a one out single to Kinley Carlton and a fielders choice before getting out of the jam picking off Carlton at second on the fielders choice and getting her third strike out.
The Warriors added to their lead as Trinity Armstrong led off the second with a walk, stole second and third before scoring on Epps grounder for a 4-0 lead.
Keystone (8-4) threated again in the third as Asia Givens reached on an error by Lee but Givens was put out on Ashton Ludwig fielders choice to second. Ludwig stole second but was left stranded after Lee struck out Emma Rogel.
Armstrong walked and stole second, reached third on Mykhala Moore single before scoring on Epps RBI single to left increasing the lead to 5-0 after four.
West Nassau (7-4) put it away with a five run sixth to end the game in the sixth inning due to the run rule.
Dixon, Gorey, Kroger all reached on consecutive fielders choices and Armstrong and Moore delivered the big blows with 2 RBI singles including the walkoff hit from Moore which gave the Warriors ten runs.
West Orange 11, Keystone Heights 1
West Orange jumped on Keystone early scoring runs in the first three innings to take a commanding lead in the final placement game of the tournament early Saturday morning.
