OAKLEAF - Oakleaf, Middleburg and Ridgeview put on shows of softball excellence in a weekend of play at the Oakleaf Tournament of Champions with all three teams readying for next months district to state run with anticipation of the playoff rigors.

"I think, at this point, we have a lot of options to find the right combination of players," said Middleburg coach Ashley Houston, who won a tactical 15-5 game over Ridgeview in a consolation semifinal at the tournament. "The youth on our team is great and it's just a matter of getting them confident of their abilities in games like this which was like a playoff game."

For Houston, who took her 9-9 midseason record last year to an 11-game win streak en route to the Class 5A title off the strong pitching of pitcher Mallory Forrester, now at Flagler College, and some opportunistic hitting and baserunning throughout the region to state run.

Against Ridgeview, ironically with former Oakleaf High state champion catcher Angela Agurkis now the latest head coach, Middleburg was able to fend off numerous bases loaded situations behind the arm of pitcher Morgan Beckham to keep the Panther offense at bay.

"I didn't sleep much last night thinking about the whole aura of returning here as a former player and state champion, playing on my old field against a defending state champion coach and then knowing I may play against my old team in later game depending on the bracket," said Agurkis. "I know I was a player out to beat everyone in my way to get to the state championship game and I know coach Houston is the same mindset. Coach Heather Han, at Oakleaf, is also a championship level coach in all her experiences as a player and as a collegiate coach. It was pretty nerve-wracking."

Against Ridgeview, in a game that pitted last year's two district final combatants with the Broncos stealing the title from Ridgeview under coach Casey Thompson, now ironically, athletic director at Middleburg, Houston got at least one run in all seven innings with five in the second as the gap maker. Houston got homers from three players along the way; Kerra Clarida (7th inning 3-runs, 16-5), Kaelyn Hagan (1st inning 1-0) and Madisyn Strickland (4th, solo, 10-4) to boost the offense. Mika Wesley also hit an RBI triple (9-2) to show off the Bronco power.

Ridgeview kept putting baserunners in play with just three strikeouts on the day off eight hits and eight walks including five singles in the first inning the gave Ridgeview a short-lived 2-1 lead before a nifty double play with bases loaded as starting pitcher Libby Bennett, a Ridgeview transfer, covered a grounder with a flip to catcher Alyssa Prather who alertly snipered a laser throw to first base to knock out Panther hitter Cynthia Hilton before she reached first base.

"It's important for us to understand that defense wins games," said Houston. "We're not quite there yet with that, but it's getting there. We hope to be running on all cylinders in the next few weeks."

For Agurkis, the transition to being a state champion again will be reliant on which players step up as leaders in the next few weeks.

"This team has great players and I think we need to put our egos aside when we have situations like the bases loadeds we had and just score runs," said Agurkis. "We don't need one shot to be a hero, but three singles smartly hit can score the same four runs."

For Oakleaf, where coach Heather Han enters for her second season at the helm, a regular season 9-1 win over Middleburg at Middleburg opened a flood of confidence in her dugout that the next level is forthcoming. The Middleburg win came after a string of three losses to state powers South Lake (lost 1-0 to Middleburg in Class 5A championship game last year), Fort Myers (region finalist last year 5A) and West Orange (7A region semifinalist, lost to champion Lakewood Ranch).

In her tournament, Han got a 10-0 win over Matanzas to advance but ran into Providence with a nine inning 4-3 loss in another championship level game in the tournament semifinal. Providence beat Oakleaf 8-4 in the season opener with a flurry of home runs with the tournament set to be a barometer of the team's improvements.

"Their pitcher was still able to keep control of our bats pretty much, but I think we were not backing down after the pitching we faced in our previous games," said Han. "This is championship caliber play and we have to be able to face off against the best pitching, hitting and fielding that is in front of us."

One key play for Han was a solo homer by Amaya Mirelez that tied the game at 3-3 to give Oakleaf a breath.

"She can do that everytime she gets to bat, she does it at practice all the time," said Han, who directed Oakleaf to the region final last year with a loss to eventual Class 7A runnerup Lake Brantley ended her playoff run. "We got good bats and games like this and the Middleburg effort will keep us sharp. This team has a history of late inning heroics."

In the seventh, Oakleaf pitcher Charlie Maddox lost a bit of control with two hit batters putting two Providence baserunners in play, but Han stayed with her sophomore hurler and Maddox delivered two strikeouts to end the inning.

"That was confidence in her defense," said Han.

Both teams buckled up their defenses for two innings before an RBI single won the game.

Ridgeview (5-5) upcoming schedule

Thurs., March 23 vs. Keystone Heights (4-4)

Mon., March 27 at Baker County (6-3)

Wed., March 29 at Yulee (3-8)

Tues., April 4 at Ponte Vedra (6-0-1, 6th in 5A)

Thurs., April 6 at Palatka (3-4)

Middleburg (5-4, 14th in 5A) Upcoming schedule

Tues., March 21 at Buchholz (1-6)

Thurs., March 23 vs. Trinity Christian (0-6)

Tues., March 28 at Baldwin (9-0, 8th ranked FL)

Thurs., March 30 at Palatka (3-4)

Fri., March 31 at Columbia (8-3)

Oakleaf (3-5) upcoming schedule

Tues., March 21 at Keystone Heights (4-4)

Thurs., March 23 vs. Baker County (6-3)

Thurs., March 30 East Ridge (9-4) (tourney)

Fri., March 31 Tourney