GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Clay High sophomore pitcher Malia Collin controlled the bats of the Fleming Island lineup with Brooke Hamilton sprinting to an inside-the-park homer to punch up an 8-5 upset win over Fleming Island in two county rivalry clashes on Monday, March 11.
"Young roster, one senior, a sophomore pitcher and we played our tails off tonight," said Clay High softball coach Matt Lewis, who improved to 6-3 after an 8-5 win over Fleming Island, who came in with just one loss on the season and fell to 5-2 overall. "Malia stayed the course despite Fleming Island getting runners on base late in the game and we had two outstanding plays on defense to seal the game."
Lewis' reference to his two fielding plays were a third base scoop by Brooke Hamilton on a Emma Massey hard grounder just inside the third base line that got the first out of the seventh inning. Hamilton's snag advanced Fleming Island's Anisten Kurlander to second base after Collins' walked her to first base.
On the next Fleming Island at bat, Liz Sikes rifled a midcenterfield flyball that Clay's Yarianis Gonalez caught, slid to her backside and threw back to the infield, but the throw was late as Kurlander scored to put the game at 8-5.
"They got the run, but Malia kind of took the defensive plays and got a strikeout on Lauren Abram to end the game.
"A great rivalry game with two rivals not giving an inch and both teams playing great," said Lewis, noting five strikeouts to Collins. "Can't ask for a better night to come up with a tough win."
Clay got on the board big in the first two innings with three runs in the first off three errors by Fleming Island for the first run, then a fourth error to 2-0 with a fielder's choice grounder by Hamilton to 3-0.
Fleming Island looked to answer with a double from Jolee Rich after a flyout, but Collins got a second fly out and a strikeout on Mallory Blackwell to end the inning.
After a single to Gonzalez in the Clay bottom of the second, Kaelye Rouw blasted a homer off Fleming Island pitcher Brooke Wilson to put Clay up 5-0.
Clay added two more runs off a Hailie Miera double in the fourth to up the score to 7-0 before Fleming Island's bats decided to rev up to put three runs on the board with a single, an error and a double from Ashlyn Madine to dull the Blue Devil dugout excitment for a bit.
With two outs in the sixth, Hamilton got on a fast train after a long fly ball to centerfield and got to third base in world record time with a throwing error getting her home safely to score the game 8-4.
Sikes singled in Kurlander in the seventh to put one more on the board for Fleming Island before the Clay fielding theatrics ended the game.
Clay continued with Ridgeview on Friday, March 14 and a road game at Episopal on March 18.
Fleming Island had a Wednesday, March 12 road game at Creekside (down 4-1 in the fifth at press time) with back to back games against St. Augustine (Away, 0-10) and Atlantic Coast (9-1) to end the week.