There’s a saying in sports that it’s hard to beat a team three times in the same season.
And that adage proved true on Wednesday, May 13, as Trinity Catholic softball (16-11) hit the road to take on The First Academy in the Region 2-2A region semifinals in the FHSAA state tournament.
The visiting Celtics had faced the hosting Royals twice in the regular season, losing both games by a combined score of 14-3.
Trinity Catholic, however, flipped history on its axis and beat The First Academy when it mattered most, ending the Royals’ season with a 6-3 win to send the Celtics to the region championship game.
The First Academy ranked as the No. 2 team in Class 2A and the 17th-ranked team in the entire state in the FHSAA’s final rankings.
Getting the start in the circle for the Celtics on Wednesday night was, unsurprisingly, Trinity Catholic’s junior ace Caylee Barbe. Barbe, a Syracuse softball commit, went the distance, pitching all seven innings, allowing five hits, three runs (all unearned) and striking out 12.
From the plate, where Barbe has amassed a .429 average with eight home runs, the Royals were careful not to let the Celtics’ two-way star hurt them too much as Barbe drew four walks in the game.
Fortunately for Trinity Catholic, the Celtics were able to lean on a team effort on offense as five batters recorded hits with senior Rebecca LeFils being the only multi-hit batter with two hits. Meanwhile, junior Hailey Wilson is credited with three RBIs, courtesy of her third home run of the season, while fellow junior Jordan Koehn finished with a pair of RBIs on one hit.
Following the win, Trinity Catholic now advances to the region championship game, where it will see No. 3 seed Cornerstone Charter Academy (21-5) with a trip to the Final Four on a line. Cornerstone Charter Academy reaches the region final after topping No. 2-seeded Montverde, which Trinity Catholic beat 4-1 on April 30.
Trinity Catholic and Cornerstone Charter Academy are set to meet on Thursday, May 14, at 7 p.m. in Belle Isle.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Trinity Catholic softball scores major upset to advance in FHSAA playoffs
Reporting by Ainslie Lee, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
