OAKLEAF – The Oakleaf High softball team came home from a rugged Kissimmee Klassic championships against the likes of Florida and Kentucky state champions and continued on with their roll toward the upcoming district tournament with a 10-0 win over Atlantic Coast and a 5-1 win over Fleming Island, both district 2-8A foes, with Atlantic Coast one of the two teams to put the Knights at 21-2 overall.

Against Atlantic Coast, on April 11, the Knights took just one inning to rev up the runs engine against Taylor Bauman, the Stingrays top pitcher, who actually got three grounders from the Knights’ batting lineup; Katie Kistler; new as the leadoff batter, Alex Acevedo, Angela Agurkis and Rebecca Koskey, as head coach Christina Thompson continued to swap her top four hitters almost on a game-by-game basis.

Knights’ pitcher Kelsey Sweatt manhandled the Stingray bats in the second with three strikeouts.

In the second inning, Oakleaf’s bats bombarded Bauman with Baylee Goddard starting on first after being hit with a pitch then Mika Garcia singling. Haley Willis, Jenna Curtis and Tracy Ferguson all hit fielder’s choice grounders to move baserunners with Kistler singling in Willis for the lone run of the energetic inning.

Atlantic Coast had a strikeout and two flyouts for offense in their third inning before Oakleaf scored four runs off a walk to Koskey, a single to Goddard, and error to a Garcia grounder that scored the first run of the inning before Willis nailed a suicide bunt to score Goddard and Ferguson smashed a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.

Against Fleming Island, the Golden Eagles scored first off a run scoring triple from Madi Lanoux with Sammy Dill on base from an Acevedo error at second base. From there, pitcher Madi Davis got flyouts to shortstop from Tiffany Steczo and Jordan Hunt.

Oakleaf responded with two runs in the ensuing inning with Koskey smacking an RBI single to push in Acevedo who singled with Agurkis, who walked, scoring off a wild pitch.

Davis struck out two in the second inning and Fleming Island pitcher Jordan Rosette answered with grounders to leave Oakleaf baserunner Destiny Pacetti on base after a double.

Stezco got to second for Fleming Island off a error and a fielder’s choice to Maya Littles, but Davis got two flyballs and a strikeout to end the threat.

In the third, Oakleaf pushed the lead to 3-1 with Koskey again striking for an RBI off a sacrifice flyball to left field.

In the fourth, Rosette singled and was stuck at second base with Davis striking out Halle Corless.

Acevedo blew up the Oakleaf lead with a centerfield homer in the ensuing inning with Pacetti sitting at second base off a single and a stolen base to surge ahead 5-1.

In district 2-8A, Oakleaf is 9-1 with Atlantic Coast 8-2 in the top two spots. First Coast, at 5-5, and Fleming Island, at 4-6, will have to face either of the two again in district play which starts April 24 at Atlantic Coast. Fleming Island beat First Coast 7-5 on April 11.

Oakleaf finishes regular season play with Trinity Christian April 18, Mandarin April 20 and at Baker County April 21. Fleming Island finishes with Middleburg April 17 and Clay April 20; both at home at 4 p.m.