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 loses two spinetinglers

Fleming Island answered back with back-to-back spinetinglers that finished as excruciating losses with the Golden Eagles losing a 12-11 game to Creekside (8-2), then taking 11-1 Atlantic Coast High to a 1-0 game.
Against Atlantic Coast, both pitchers; Mallory Blackwell for Fleming Island, opened the game with little slack from the mound with just four batters per inning by both teams until the fifth inning. Both teams had just four hits for the game with both pitchers whiffing five batters each.
In the fifth, Atlantic Coast got three singles to score the game's lone run with the Fleming Island stood up to the batting lineup of the Stingrays who opened with a 5-2 loss to Tocoi Creek then rattled off 11 straight wins including a 4-2 win over Creekside on March 4 that was followed by a 15-0 thrashing of the same Tocoi Creek team from game one.
Against Creekside, Fleming Island scored seven runs in the sixth off four singles and a bucketload of Creekside errors to take the game lead, but gave up a three run homer in the sixth and a tying run in the seventh before taking the lead in the seventh with a two run double by Ashley Madine to go up 10-8 in seventh. Three walks and a single gave Creekside the game winner.
Fleming Island returns with road games to Bishop Kenny and Oakleaf to finish March.

Middleburg 7, Keystone Heights 1

Four doubles by the Middleburg High batting lineup spelled bad news for the Keystone Heights softball team as the Broncos won a 7-1 county matchup to earn their sixth straight win after a three loss skid ended February, albeit, those three losses to state champion Trenton, state runnerup Branford and 6A region finalist East Lake High before starting their streak with an 11-0 win over 3A region finalist Episcopal. Middleburg finished their pre-Spring Break season with a 9-1 win over Yulee with pitcher Lily Bennett striking out 11 and KK Hagan hitting for four runs. Yulee held a slim 1-0 lead to the fourth inning when Middleburg rattled off four runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
"Our outfield was under water yesterday and we had to move our home game against Trenton," said Middleburg coach Ashley Houston, after she had to cancel out a rematch with 1A state champion Trenton. "We always invite the best teams to play us. Keystone Heights is always a playoff contender."
Against Keystone Heights, Middleburg's bats exploded early with Kerra Clarida doubling KK Hagan to third and Emma Ward singling in two runs from there. Isabel Pifer singled and moved on a Mallory Ficklin sacrifice bunt, but Keystone Heights pitcher Kadence Massey whiffed Cloey Ballinger and popped out Caylee Johnson to stop the quick strike.

Oakleaf 3, Columbia 7

Oakleaf pitcher Charlotte Maddox gave up one earned run; a homer, but whiffed eight, but not enough as four errors, a triple and a single gave Columbia (10-3) a 7-3 win. Oakleaf falls to 4-5 with Yulee, Ridgeview, Baker County and Fleming Island to finish March.