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Tortuous schedule thumps Oakleaf twice

Randy Lefko
Posted 3/9/17

ORLANDO - The top-ranked, at one point, Oakleaf High softball team took two hits on that ranking with a 2-1 loss on February 28 to district foe Atlantic Coast and a 4-0 loss on March 4 to West …

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Tortuous schedule thumps Oakleaf twice


Posted

ORLANDO - The top-ranked, at one point, Oakleaf High softball team took two hits on that ranking with a 2-1 loss on February 28 to district foe Atlantic Coast and a 4-0 loss on March 4 to West Orange, also a once top-ranked team in Florida.

"We lost 11 games two years ago and went to the playoffs," said Oakleaf High coach Christina Thompson. "The season is a marathon not a sprint. We've taken our lumps before, but we never hang out heads. The tough schedule is a learning tool."

Oakleaf defeated Atlantic Coast 4-1 in last year's region 1-8A semifinal before losing 6-4 in the 8A state semifinal to Strawberry Crest. West Orange is the defending 9A champions.

Oakleaf falls to 5-2 overall while West Orange hoists a 6-2 record with losses to 9A-Timber Creek High (1-0) on February 15 and 8A-Ocoee (2-1) on March 1. Timber Creek was a region 3-9A finalist losing to 9A runnerup Alonso.

District 2-8A

Atlantic Coast (6-2, 4-0)

Oakleaf (5-2, 3-1)

Fleming Island (4-3, 2-1)

First Coast (4-2, 1-2)

Fletcher (0-4, 0-2)

Lee (0-5, 0-4)

Updated on Wed., March 1, Maxpreps' Xcellent 25 Writer's Poll had West Orange at third in the nation behind two teams from California; Los Alamitos and Mission Viejo with Oakleaf at 13th. Oakleaf was cited as 13th nationally in the Preseason 2017 poll published February 21.

Against West Orange, senior pitcher Kelsey Sweatt had just three strikeouts while the Oakleaf bats were restricted to just three hits; two from Rebecca Koskey and one from Angela Agurkis.

West Orange catcher Julia Sniffen hit for a first inning grand slam homer after Sweatt walked three batters. West Orange pitcher Lauren Mathis, a University of Georgia commit, stymied the Knights' batting lineup with 11 strikeouts on the day.

Against Atlantic Coast, a district 2-8A opponent, Stingrays pitcher Taylor Bauman , a Florida Gulf Coast commit, executed five strikeouts while allowing four runs and the solo run to get the game win. Sweatt struck out 12 for Oakleaf.

"Every year, we make the schedule as tough as any," said Thompson. "The only difference this year is we are doing a little more traveling to play the best we can."

Oakleaf opening batting order; Alex Acevedo, Mika Garcia and Baylee Goddard opened with two grounders and a strikeout to Bauman as the game looked to become a pitcher's duel.

In their initial at-bat, a walk and a single by Bauman put two Stingrays on base; first and third, before an error and a passed ball scores two runs for Atlantic Coast before Sweatt struck out the final two batters.

Oakleaf would try to answer with singles from Koskey and Agurkis, but Bauman struck out the next three Knights' batters.

From there, both pitchers seemed to find their zones before, in the fourth inning, Koskey, who reached on a fielder's choice grounder with Goddard on base, moved to third on a passed ball then scored off a passed ball to score the game 2-1.

Neither team could generate a scoring threat to the end of the game with Atlantic Coast reaching base with two errors and Oakleaf getting a tying run on base off a single to Madison Mifsud in the seventh, but grounding the game out.

Oakleaf gets a breather with a Monday game with winless Robert E. Lee before traveling to unbeaten 7A-Bartram Trail (4-0) on March 8 and a doubleheader at Hagerty High School in Orlando on March 11 with games against 8A-Lake Howell (4-3) and 8A-Hagerty (4-2).

Lake Howell lost 2-0 in 2016 in the region 2-8A finals to eventual 8A champion Bartow.

"We see both as potential playoff opponents," said Thompson.

Also in district 2-8A, Fleming Island put up a 27-0 score against Lee before fighting Atlantic Coast to a 3-2 loss on March 2.

Fleming Island has wins over Creekside (6-3), Fletcher (5-0) and Orange Park (6-2) since mid-February.

Against Atlantic Coast, the Golden Eagles faced Bauman and an eight strikeout performance, but kept the game tense until the sixth inning where the Stingrays scored off a walk and two singles to go up 3-2.

Atlantic Coast scored first in the second inning on two singles and two walks against Fleming Island pitcher Jordan Rosette with catcher Jordan Hunt smashing a play at home plate to reject a second run attempt. Hunt also blocked two scoring attempts at home in the third inning off a grounder to Rosette and a grounder to shortstop Tiffany Steczo.

Atlantic Coast scored their second run in the fourth off two singles and a walk to go up 2-0.

Rosette buckled down ith three grounders in the fifth and Fleming Island answered with a run off a Steczo double with Maya Littles on base via a walk. Tiara Peters was hit by a Bauman pitch to put two baserunners in play with a walk adding a third, but Mady Lanoux grounded out.

In the bottom of the sixth, Atlantic Coast took a 3-2 lead off a walk and a hard hit single to left field.

Bauman limited Fleming Island to just a walk in the seventh inning.

Against Lee, a four-inning contest, Steczo hit two homers with Littles adding another. Hunt and Steczo both had five runs batted in on four hits with Sammy Dill, Kyleigh Mathews and Maya Littles each adding four RBIs apiece. Rosette executed seven strikeouts.